Burning Aluminum Soda Cans to Create Thermite

💡Crushing soda cans is a crucial step in the process of creating aluminum powder for thermite.

🔥Different particle sizes of thermite, made by combining aluminum powder and iron oxide, have varying burning rates and ignition difficulties.

⛏️Using a ball mill, Cody converts aluminum turnings into even smaller bits for thermite production.

🔋Combining aluminum powder and iron oxide produces a thermite mixture that can create molten iron.

🧪Burning 400 soda cans filled with thermite results in a large pit of molten iron and slag.

What is the purpose of crushing the soda cans?

—Crushing the soda cans reduces their volume and removes excess junk, such as paint and plastic liners, making them suitable for melting down into aluminum powder for thermite.

Why does Cody use different particle sizes of thermite?

—Different particle sizes of thermite have varying burning rates and ignition difficulties. This allows Cody to create materials that burn at different rates and with different ease of ignition.

What is a ball mill, and what is its purpose in this process?

—A ball mill is a device used to grind materials into fine particles. In this process, Cody uses a ball mill to convert aluminum turnings into even smaller bits for thermite production.

What happens when soda cans filled with thermite are burned?

—Burning soda cans filled with thermite leads to a reaction that produces a large pit of molten iron and slag.

Why does Cody separate the molten iron from the slag?

—Cody separates the molten iron from the slag to obtain pure iron and study its properties. The slag is a byproduct of the reaction and contains impurities.

00:00Cody's Lab demonstrates the process of burning aluminum soda cans to create thermite.

03:27Crushing soda cans is a crucial step in the process of creating aluminum powder for thermite.

06:10Different particle sizes of thermite, made by combining aluminum powder and iron oxide, have varying burning rates and ignition difficulties.

09:31Using a ball mill, Cody converts aluminum turnings into even smaller bits for thermite production.

12:18Combining aluminum powder and iron oxide produces a thermite mixture that can create molten iron.

19:51Burning 400 soda cans filled with thermite results in a large pit of molten iron and slag.

23:13Cody examines the iron and slag that resulted from the experiment.