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I wonder whether the Cellon dope caught fire first. It's highly flammable and unstable. From another article, about a 1916 German bomber .. https://eandt.thei

I wonder whether the Cellon dope caught fire first. It's highly flammable and unstable. From another article, about a 1916 German bomber .. https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2017/11/eccentric-engineer-the-painfully-visible-birth-of-the-world-s-first-invisible-bomber/ https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2017/11/eccentric-... > First, Cellon, a type of cellulose acetate, was highly flammable, which, combined with the wooden fuselage, made the plane a tinderbox. Secondly, it wasn’t very strong or stable; in dry weather the material shrank, warping the wooden fuselage, while in damp weather it expanded and made the whole structure sag. This had a very unnerving effect in flight, as the control surfaces changed characteristics from moment to moment depending on humidity. Cellon also decayed in ultraviolet light, becoming yellowed, brittle and prone to explosive shattering.

dmix 5y ago
From another person's post: > The truth is that the dope used on the Hindenburg was specifically chosen for its low flammability, and the composition of the dope had almost nothing in common with the formula used to make rocket fuel. https://www.airships.net/hindenburg-paint/ https://www.airships.net/hindenburg-paint/
- emmelaich 5y ago
  It's relative compared to cellulose nitrate (ie. guncotton). Cellulose acetate has lower flammability but that isn't saying much. Have a look at the Pathé video of the Hindenburg disaster. The "skin" is clearly on fire.
schlupa 5y ago
Mythbuster dispelled that the coating paint could have been the cause of the disaster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(2007_season)#Hindenburg_Mystery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(2007_season)#Hind...
- emmelaich 5y ago
  from that wikipedia page ... > they concluded the Hindenburg's demise could be attributed to both the hydrogen and the paint, which is what I'm suggesting.
emmelaich 5y ago
PS. the flammability depends a lot on the purity. This is useful: https://iafss.org/publications/frn/19/-1/view/frn_19.pdf https://iafss.org/publications/frn/19/-1/view/frn_19.pdf "TITLE: FLAMMABILITY AND FLASH POINT OF CELLULOSE ACETATE FIlM CONTAINING VARIOUS AMOUNTS OF CELLULOSE NITRATE" 1952

dmix 5y ago

From another person's post: > The truth is that the dope used on the Hindenburg was specifically chosen for its low flammability, and the composition of the dope had almost nothing in common with the formula used to make rocket fuel. https://www.airships.net/hindenburg-paint/ https://www.airships.net/hindenburg-paint/

emmelaich 5y ago
It's relative compared to cellulose nitrate (ie. guncotton). Cellulose acetate has lower flammability but that isn't saying much. Have a look at the Pathé video of the Hindenburg disaster. The "skin" is clearly on fire.

schlupa 5y ago

Mythbuster dispelled that the coating paint could have been the cause of the disaster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(2007_season)#Hindenburg_Mystery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(2007_season)#Hind...

emmelaich 5y ago
from that wikipedia page ... > they concluded the Hindenburg's demise could be attributed to both the hydrogen and the paint, which is what I'm suggesting.

emmelaich 5y ago

PS. the flammability depends a lot on the purity. This is useful: https://iafss.org/publications/frn/19/-1/view/frn_19.pdf https://iafss.org/publications/frn/19/-1/view/frn_19.pdf "TITLE: FLAMMABILITY AND FLASH POINT OF CELLULOSE ACETATE FIlM CONTAINING VARIOUS AMOUNTS OF CELLULOSE NITRATE" 1952