Background
The heat from the fire can cause the liquid in a plastic cup to evaporate quickly and spill out when lit. As long as it doesn't catch fire, the cup can still contain water.
What is Thermal Insulation and How Does It Work?
A method for reducing the amount of heat that passes through an object is thermal insulation. The object needs to have a good surface to contact and an airtight seal for thermal insulation to work.
Thermal insulation's main objective is to lessen the quantity of heat that passes through an object. This can be helpful in a variety of circumstances, such as lowering the energy requirement to cool an area or stopping heat from leaving from a structure in cold weather.
Thermal insulation is frequently used in cooling systems for electronic equipment. It is feasible to maintain the device at a cooler temperature and increase its efficiency by limiting the quantity of heat that passes through the system.
Tests on Thermal Insulation of Plastic Cups
In an effort to comprehend how hot objects might start fires, the thermal insulation of plastic cups has been researched. The insulation helps prevent too much heat from penetrating the liquid, the study showed, even though the cup can still retain water. Both the safety of those using cups and novel techniques for insulating other things from heat may benefit from this information.
The Result
It is highly unlikely that water would be able to escape from a blazing plastic cup if you were to pour a cup into it. This is because the fire's heat melts the plastic, which causes the water within to boil. Due to the fact that hot plastic molecules move more quickly than cold water molecules, the water quickly boils as a result. The cup continues to leak liquid even after it has been set on fire as a result.
Conclusion
A new study in the journal of Fire Safety found that even if your plastic cup catches fire and the water inside comes into contact with the burning substance, it will still be able to contain the water. The combustible material simply needs to reach a temperature high enough for liquid water molecules to create vapor bubbles in order for this to occur; the cup does not need to be totally melted. So any liquid inside a plastic cup, even if it is burning and releasing extreme heat, could potentially start an uncontrolled fire.
