Information AboutFlammable |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT INFLAMMABILITY | |
| fire protection | |
| thermodynamics | |
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Inflammability is the ease with which a substance will ignite, causing Fire or Combustion . Materials that will ignite at Temperature s commonly encountered are considered '''inflammable''', with various specific definitions giving a temperature requirement. The Flash Point is the important characteristic. A volatile substance may have sufficient Vapor Pressure to form flammable (or even explosive) mixtures with air in temperatures as low as , so that ignition can occur even without direct contact. Flash points below are regulated in the United States by OSHA as potential workplace hazards. Examples of Flammable Liquid s are Gasoline , Ethanol , and Acetone . Diesel fuel is in one of the less heavily regulated flammability categories, and Biodiesel is considered '''nonflammable''' or '''noninflammable''' with a flash point usually over even though biodiesel will combust inside a Diesel Engine . LINGUISTIC AMBIGUITY ''Flammable'' is of relatively recent origin (from Latin "to set on fire" + -able) and many unfamiliar with English semantics and grammar use it in place of the older inflammable (Latin + -able) where is from ''in-'' + and the prefix ''in-'' has the same meaning as the preposition "in" (inside), so it literally means "to cause to burn" (cognate with Inflammatory and Inflammation ). The problem is the Latin prefix ''in-'' also means "not", so inflammable may also be parsed as "not flammable" (non-flammable) like for example Invisible (in- + visible). In Romance Languages , the word inflammable is still used with the original Latin meaning (, , , ) and the opposite is built with in- "not": French for non-flammable is (in- "not" + "flammable"). '' The Elements Of Style '' ("Strunk and White"), on the other hand, says: :Flammable. An oddity, chiefly useful in saving lives. The common word meaning " Combustible " is inflammable. But some less educated people are thrown off by the in- and think inflammable means "not combustible." For this reason, trucks carrying gasoline or explosives are now marked FLAMMABLE. Unless you are operating such a truck and hence are concerned with the safety of children and illiterates, use inflammable. EXTERNAL LINKS
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