Tanker Crush MiniMyth | MythBusters

For years Adam and Jamie have tested explosions. For the first time in MythBusters history they test whether or not a train car is capable of imploding!
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[@eaglegaming2346]

"this is the biggest myth we've ever tested" *calls it a minimyth*

[@OfficialYondoth]

The biggest myth they did was the cement truck they exploded the shit out of.

[@TangySauce]

@@OfficialYondoth pft

[@omega1575]

Yondoth that was the best episode, all you need to do it at home was 700 pounds of high explosives and a cement mixer. I tried it, it was fun

[@ronaldburgess2884]

Tank cars are double wall constructed. I could have saved them some time and money.

[@patrickweaver1105]

@@ronaldburgess2884 Some are some aren't. We collapsed one unloading plastic beads with the vent shut using a pneumatic conveying system. The hazardous liquid materials tank cars are of course double walled to prevent leaks.

[@tythorn13]

I know we are all disappointed, but there is some railroad worker who is really glad he doesn't ever have to worry about this.

[@yellowswagmuffin920]

I wonder if they removed the vacuum relief valve and plugged it, tank cars and 5, 8, 16 pans all have vacuum relief devices that open automatically when a vacuum starts to form

[@whynotdean8966]

@@yellowswagmuffin920 Well they measured the vacuum during the experiment and it didn't drop.

[@FutureRailProductions]

Wrong. It can happen in the right circumstances. It's either confirmed or plausible.

[@anactualalpaca7016]

​@FutureRail Productions literally said "busted" at the end, did you eveb watch the video? The pressure leveled off at -27 and wouldn't budge after that.

[@panda4247]

well, it can happen in principle, it just did not happen with this one... So... maybe it was a different type/make with thinner walls, or more fatigue, or whatever.

[@fernandop1]

Maybe the Old tank that imploded was thinner or used a different matterial than the newer ones

[@Andromeda4482]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKucZpKMq7mrkK8 and kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zn-UaKd7jMSKe7c Not sure if its the same thing happening here but....

[@des-oe1vl]

yea it was probably an older tank because the newer ones meet VERY specific safety standards.

[@MonkeyGaming861]

quite likely the case, if you tested this myth 20-30 years ago it would quite likely have tested positive as there where a lot les safety measures in place for these things.

[@killman369547]

older tank cars were in fact thinner because back then they didn't have the immensely powerful bending presses new tank cars are formed with. to compensate for the thinner walls the old tank cars had expansion domes on top so vapor given off by its contents had someplace to go. since new tank cars have thicker walls they don't need expansion domes, the hatch at the top is just for convenient filling.

[@des-oe1vl]

yea but that system wasn't very effective at it's time before an accident happened (in Canada, somewhere) that set better standards for tanker conditions. Yes older models had expansion domes, but it was mostly for the gas-based ones and as i mentioned earlier, it wasn't very effective.

[@benediktriowidjaja6702]

In the actual episode, after that they dropped a heavy weight on it to damage it. Then it worked.

[@eetmahbykechorts5925]

I was thinkkng they found a way to make it implode.

[@MackAttack101]

Anyone got a vid? I feel rather unsatisfied

[@MackAttack101]

ARatQuiRit thank you good sir

[@MattII33]

@@nuclearquantumlaserspewpew9745 Uh, no... they just ended this video without showing their next idea to get it to work. Technically what they tried in this video didn't work, so it's Busted.

[@mcfrosty8739]

I WAS JUST THINKING THAT THEY HAD IT IMPLODE!

[@Roblx518]

It's absolutely crucial to remember, the moments of fun we're sharing....took years of their efforts to earn the chance, and weeks of toil.

[@computer-yt6rg]

and thousands of dollars

[@glyph241]

And Tory Belachi, Grant Imihara And Carrie Byron...

[@funa8843]

Watching Adam on tested “I don’t even know how we got it, it was really by chance that me and Jamie were the hosts”

[@izuksammy]

“Just as they start to think the tank can’t possibly budge.... it doesn’t”

[@BadAssEngineering]

This is a 1 atmosphere difference in pressure... now imagine how violent it would be underwater with 400 atm of difference...

[@Am3rIca16]

OceanGate anyone?

[@borntoclimb7116]

True

[@rizdalegend]

I've heard the air inside super heated to 10,000 degrees (whatever the surface of the sun is) from the near instantaneous collapse.

[@jhondisjames2151]

​@@rizdalegendyeah that's absolute horseshit lmao

[@jimmipadge]

@@jhondisjames2151 not horseshit, ever heard of a fire piston?

[@Robin9Hurricane]

Being a professional Chemical Engineer, I have seen a lot of tanks that designed for withstanding various pressure, and most of them are quite over built, so it is likely they have picked up a tough one that designed to hold negative pressure. But yes, I have also seen imploded tanks myself, it is possible.

[@ThePoozer69]

Oh, we know... All too well in 2023

[@Not_sheilsy04]

​@@ThePoozer69oceangate?

[@thischannelisdeleted]

@@Not_sheilsy04 Thats a toy compared to an oil tanker

[@pavel9652]

Most of things are built to hold a large positive pressure, but won't hold much of negative. Things as simple as a coke can. Similar possible disaster in making, assuming it will be ever completed and it probably won't, is the Hyperloop project (or its various clones).

[@ThePoozer69]

@@Not_sheilsy04 Oceangate

[@ducks7015]

The fact that the small canister got compacted was amazing enough for me.

[@petertengchisry3262]

Anyone here because of the titan submersive incident?

[@devboiagru]

KZbin has a funny sense of recommendations

[@dgma626]

yeah because you keep searching it

[@sonofawil]

Some tanks are designed for full vacuum. Some aren’t. If you did the same thing to an older tanker you could well have your implosion.

[@killman369547]

yeah, old tank cars had thinner walls and couldn't take that much negative pressure, they couldn't take that much positive pressure either come to think of it which is i guess why they had expansion domes.

[@1czv13]

Yeah its to thick

[@lol-zp1ps]

@Oh yeah yeah ahahahaha

[@Andy-gti]

i'm just here for the top comments of the last 2 weeks

[@yodaz101]

Multiply that by about 20-30 times and that's what happened to oceangate.... Nothing to recover..

[@Aron-ru5zk]

The shape of it won’t let it implode, if it had a big dent in the side it might work

[@mcearl8073]

M’ aiq Which is exactly what they did in the show and got it to crush. It would have been nice if they’d have included that part in this video.

[@dasistmeinnamedasistmeinna9662]

I don't know if i can trust you, as your name is m'aiq...

[@nicholasdowns3502]

I know someone that had a brand new milk truck tanker, the people ate the milk plant didn’t open the hatch, and the trailer collapsed as the milk was pumped out, the trailer was destroyed, and the processing plant had to pay for a new tanker.

[@jonathanvanginkel3849]

Nope that shape will implode no problem we sell self filling manure tankers the exact same shape and we have had three know to us implode so far

[@jolllyroger1]

@@nicholasdowns3502 I used to drive delivering aqua ammonia to the rice fields .... my company had a guy didn't open the top relief valve when pumping off the aqua that tank sucked in like a crushed soda can..... if you drain the aqua during the day then seal up and leave it to cool at night they will crush too....

[@blake7065]

1:39 you can see they already tested this look at the can in the background

[@najahnoelle]

Here because of tragic lost of the Titan. I can only imagine how scary the first creek was down there. Or it was probably so instant, they didn’t even know it happened. Rip to them🥺

[@juliusnepos6013]

Third incident like that for the past 6 years, with another sub also suffering the same fate in 2021 having 50 deaths. All deaths from the 3 incidents were very, very quick

[@Stretchwiz]

It was carbon fiber, it wasn't going to creak, only snap

[@itscode561]

Titan brought me here🥺

[@aakashsinha9641]

oh boy, Im glad Im not the only one

[@juliusnepos6013]

Me too

[@juliusnepos6013]

And I have seen this episode long ago, revisiting it

[@KageShi]

Also I've watched these implode first hand. Not the high pressure tanks like this but insulated tanks on tractor trailers. Most often caused by the unloading process when the driver does not open the vent port and the tank is unloaded by 1000hp high flow punps, no one wants to wait 40 mins to unload a tank when it can be done in 5 mins.

[@AquarialTV]

I would imagine that they're built in such a way to prevent this very thing from happening

[@justsomedude4547]

You would be right, they’re built to prevent this although it’s now meant to do with transporting liquids and gases

[@ethenallen1388]

Given how hard it was to collapse it, I'd say they did so.

[@yamomsballs]

They aren't you can see plenty videos of this exact thing actually happening

[@hydraliskin]

yes they have bulkheads..metal plates separating the tank to different sections..to make it more stable when carrying liquid material..and to prevent the implosion...if those arent there you dont actually need that much suction power to crush the tank

[@TheFruitMugger]

"The valve is closed, I am de-assing the area."

[@cryptidproductions3160]

Early on in the shows run one of the explosives experts was put on the spot and referred to the emergency plan as "then we de-ass the area with the quickness" and Adam loved it. So that was a nice call back.

[@NewfieMan98]

@@cryptidproductions3160 ever since J. D. Nelson said that for the first time, it's been in my vocabulary.

[@mikecowan5786]

Gonna use one of these for a submarine.

[@prizegotti]

The problem is the use of a modern tank, designed to prevent this from happening. If it were an older tank, closer to the age of the myth itself, I suspect very different results.

[@Serby665]

Anybody here to understand how this is similar to the Titan sub?

[@MrShmeve]

If anything, this makes me feel all the safer watching these things roll down the tracks.

[@Jemalacane0]

Rail is leaps and bounds safer than road for transport.

[@andrewince8824]

This reminds me of a military myth told to me by a veteran of Korea. The story goes that when old Vickers and Maxim guns ran low on water in the barrel jacket soldiers would pour cold water on them to prevent getting burned when refilling the jacket. Apparently guns would sometimes implode. The squaddie I was talking to thought it a load of nonsense but perhaps some older, battered jackets could have deformed. The bigger question is why waste the water?

[@starhawke380]

Possibly my favorite line in all of Mythbusters... Im de-assing the area!

[@Walkingfenix]

Yes, maybe in a perfect tanker car. But each flaw and ding will become a breaking point, even for a car that's reinforced for negative pressure.

[@pemo2676]

Everyone's saying this in the comments forget they tried it with a flaw and it did implode

[@you2tooyou2too]

Many of the same features (shape) that are needed to keep it from exploding, also help to resist implosion. typical fair weather atmospheric pressures are 28-32InHg. If they had more fully expelled the air by replacing it with steam, they would have gotten closer to the local atmospheric pressure difference. However, I presume they designed the tankers to be able to withstand (or vent to prevent) the crushing forces of very cold weather condensation of petroleum distillates; no surprise here on second thought.

[@hypercomms2001]

It is just the engineers who designed the tanker car, designed it too well for the Myth Busters..

[@you2tooyou2too]

Perhaps, only well enough to withstand this same stress under normal sub-freezing weather conditions, unless there is a positive & negative pressure safety valve.

[@shallowstorm211]

A flaw could be that the atmospheric temperature was not cold enough. As in standard raining conditions, causing the whole tanker to be cooled at a more rapid, uniform pace than with having water hit from what looks like half. In all, half the tanker wasn't exposed to a complete atmospheric temperature.

[@TheAlps36]

RIP MythBusters - you will be missed

[@yanethl5249]

Here because of the submarine

[@jasonhagar1758]

"Valve is closed, I am de-assing the area."

[@Coal2956]

Maybe if it was done in a colder place with much more water involved in cooling. If it was enough rain to stop people from working it was probably pouring rain

[@jacobmire7194]

@J right

[@jrleastgeneralchainz5601]

Yeah they they forgot the cool rain

[@davidfarah]

No the atmospheric pressure has been reached in this video

[@jrleastgeneralchainz5601]

David Farah no it hasn’t idiot

[@jrleastgeneralchainz5601]

David Farah and they don’t even tell you the pressure in the vid

[@kade426]

Tanker trucks have warning labels near the dump valves about vent the top to prevent the tank from crushing.

[@coreyrondeau8259]

I miss this show

[@TheAngusTodd]

All that build up for nothing...

[@antr7493]

well that is generally Mythbusters. that is why i stopped watching after they just started blowing everything up for the hell of it

[@Monochromicornicopia]

Didn't you watch the episode? They tested the myth and now you know the result. How exactly is this a fail?

[@olivertimm1193]

Angus S 9

[@jonduke4748]

Actually they did crush it. They did more testing until it happened.

[@shanefletcher5585]

Angus S can you shut up

[@pascall0]

"you wouldn't break!" Seems like great design to me!

[@mattkeller2466]

Too bad the Titan wasn't this strong.

[@izzaTazzi]

I'm here because submarine implosion

[@AaronMichaelLong]

The reason this didn't work is that the atmosphere can, at most, exert 14 psi on the outside of the tanker car. The steel can withstand far more pressure than that.

[@ian3580]

Atmospheric pressure has little to do with the amount of vacuum you pull on the inside though.....the more vacuum you pull the greater the differential pressure even when the outside doesn't change.

[@AaronMichaelLong]

@@ian3580 Uh... not so much. The implosion happens due to the pressure of the outside air. The least pressure you can have in a container is 0 PSI. That's what a vacuum means. Once there's no more matter in the container, you can't make it *more* of a vacuum.

[@ian3580]

@@AaronMichaelLong That's true, but there was still plenty of matter in that tanker.....not much of a vacuum (nowhere near 0 PSI). Yes, the crush happens due to outside pressure but its is really the differential pressure between inside and outside that matters. I would be surprised if the steel could withstand an inward force anywhere near that. Think about a soda can, it can handle normal carbonation pressure of ~30psi but if you do the hot/cold trick it crushes very easily. Many items in industry can hold near ultimate vacuum but cannot be pressurized, and many can be pressurized to extremely high pressure levels but not withstand even a small amount of vacuum. A lot of vessels similar to this can even crush inward just by dumping the contents without opening a vent space for air to take the place of the dumped product. Even here, a very similar rail tanker is imploded with a vacuum pump kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKucZpKMq7mrkK8

[@massapower]

My all time FAV segment and watching Adam having with it makes more worthwhile 😎👍

[@jennareynolds1403]

KZbin's algorithm must think I just love implosions, after the Titan... and they are right

[@paulwilliams5208]

(3:15) "and I am De-Assing the area" all those episodes ago

[@kcanded]

I wish that Discovery would release all the Mythbuster episodes that are not currently out on a new set of DVDs. Ultimate Mythbuster, Mythbuster vs Jaws, Car Drop, Boarding a Plane, etc etc.

[@badcrew2]

Hi fellow titan sub ppl 👋

[@ereder1476]

maybe because in the myth RAIN was used: aka cooled down in an uniform from ALL sides and not just a single water stream ...

[@BattleSpew]

No. They followed it up by denting the tanker then applying the vacuum, which caused it to implode.

[@ereder1476]

@@BattleSpew oh course if you damage the structure it would implode.

[@alexisj5760]

Im in class right now watching this haha great job guys! Plus thanks for teaching us science and making it fun!! :))

[@illinoisrailfanningproductions]

I love the Loram MOW used in the video. IRP the train fan approves.

[@NO4Q2]

Foamer...

[@budgiebreder]

Wow. I wanted them to go overkill, light a fire under it, seal it remotely and use the “rain” to put the fire out

[@fryncyaryorvjink2140]

I wonder if they lit a fire inside, then cap it, if that would evacuate more air than steam. But then people might say the cold water on an almost red hot table is what did it in

[@budgiebreder]

@@fryncyaryorvjink2140 that woulda been cool too!

[@SkillUpBytes]

Titan submersible sub

[@CRlMZlN]

Miss this show... RIP Grant.

[@mailnote441]

Best ad for this tank producer.

[@FormedUnique]

A few things. Shape caused it to not implode, thickness of material, also the day seemed to be pretty warm the day could have been colder making the rain colder which would give a higher temp differential. I believe this could work they were just in ideal circumstances for it not to work

[@Long_May_They_Raine]

“I am de-assing the area!” Screaming

[@sailorstu]

This is one myth I still think about from time to time. I wonder what would have happened in the winter, where you still have some hot days in that region and yet it still freezes at night. And yes they have Freezing Rain there. A couple degrees colder may have made a big difference with this myth.

[@Lord_Messiah_Disciple]

The structural integrity of the tank was too great for the pressure to crush itself. It was built too well. Later, they do it again and compromise the structural integrity by putting a significant indentation that gives it a head start and sure enough it does crush itself beyond use like a soda can.

[@jacobmire7194]

When the vacuum or negative pressure is formed inside ,there is high pressure outside the tank(ie atmospheric pressure= 14psi)so atmosphere is applying a pressure of 14psi on the walls of the tank which is made of frickin thick pieces of metal so 14psi of pressure is inadequate to crush a 1000 pound tank! C'mon myth busters y'all knew that

[@MonkeyChessify]

There's actually a difference between internal pressure and external pressure and how well the cylinder stands up to it. There have been tanker cars and big tanks that have imploded due to similar situations.

[@chiggaeater]

They need the views

[@superdiver.]

Wonder why the tanker was not built with carbon fiber

[@interoperability3464]

Gotta love that LOST reference at the end!

[@DavidStep98]

I don’t know what they explained in the full episode, but by regulation, rank cars, rail and truck, must have a vacuum relief valve that will let air in if pressure goes too far negative. I have actually seen a tanker be sucked in (truck tanker) during unloading operations because the tank trailer was not vented and the negative pressure was too great.

[@magnetmannenbannanen]

this happened at a factory i was working at, the guy was pumping out glycol from a chemical tanker but had not opened the ventilation valve, so the tank was practically sealed as he pumped out the liquid., well, that made the tanker implode after it got near empty. noone was hurt, BUT if the guy had been on top of it when it imploded it bent in such a way it would have flung the worker up in the air. that worker got fired.

[@hakunamatata1352]

I just love these guys. And I must say that Mythbusters Jr. gave me a whole new appreciation for the guy with the glasses. Great work, guys 👍👍👍👍

[@alexpaumen3937]

They did achieve an implosion on another tank car.

[@astrofan1993]

If memory serves me correctly, they had to create a dent in the tanker in order to weaken the structural integrity. When they replicated the parameters of the experiment again, the tanker imploded as the myth suggested. However, the myth was still considered busted.

[@RobSchreurs]

I've sawn two imploded railway tankercars at Burgo Paper Plant in Virton, Belgium. During unloading of heavy crude oil, they used also steam to heat it up, getting the oil fluid. The tankercars looked like a crushed cola-can.....

[@bcwbcw3741]

There is a lot of knowledge on cylindrical containers with external pressure from oceanographic work. The roundness of the tank is really important as the shape is unstable if out of round for external pressures (think flattening a straw.) The domed endcaps are also crucial as these would otherwise fail early. The choice of steel and weld quality obviously also matters. BTW for those saying the steam test was less meant less force than pumping on the tank tthey report the he pressure was 27" of mercury which is about 13psi which is pretty much 1 atmosphere (~14psi) - a pump would be no different in force, since the force comes from the air pressure outside which is fixed. Presumably tankers that did collapse where of a different structure.

[@luismachado1951]

loved that “mind power” ;-)

[@alansmithee419]

It can withstand 0.9 atm. Pretty good for a cylinder(ish thing)

[@Vespyr_]

It's not cold enough outside for this to work. It wasn't just raining, it was winter weather. Enough to see your breath.

[@Tigerdude13579]

It all depends on the shape off the container the rectangle had more stress points (curves and welds) while the cylinder was round with less stress points

[@omarsanchez2374]

Ay i live in boardman Oregon 😂😂 even if it's a small town I feel honor setting foot on the train tracks were they did there experiment 🙏

[@alansmithee419]

It's important to note that it isn't really a vacuum that sucks things to shrink from the inside. The atmosphere, the same one pushing on us at all times, crushes them from the outside. Vacuum seals? The atmosphere pushing the packaging onto the stored item. I don't know if it's an accurate description, but atmospheric pressure seems to be the equivalent of placing a ten ton (metric) object on every square meter surface. Including you.

[@joser6640]

Here because of titan sub

[@ttc5000]

Some tankers are rated for pressure, some for vacuum, some for both. I wonder what the car they used was rated for

[@deadflwrs]

It’s been a wild ride.

[@DOI_ARTS]

The Oceangate CEO didn't watch Mythbuster or listened to James Cameron, RIP to all the passengers of Titan.

[@melv432100]

I used to drive a fuel oil tanker one time in snow & ice storm I was pumping off a load of six oil the vents in the hatch on the top of the tank got clogged with frozen ice & snow I sucked in the steel tank I mean really sucked it in this was about 1989 The tank held 6500 gallons after that it only held 5200 gallons till it was repaired.

[@meteorplays8232]

0:34 sounds like he’s constipated

[@andrewgru7077]

Question on this. But wouldnt it be more likely to implode in a cold weather area doing this? Cali heat would keep it someone heated on the outside so its less likely to implode.

[@xxxfire_leonxxx]

Cool!

[@spicytuna62]

That's incredible, just not in the loud way we wanted. Still, a testament to the strength of these cars.

[@Dhalin]

I bet if they cooled it further than 100F they woulda gotten the implosion. Cool it down to, say, 60. I mean, when it rains, it's not usually 100F in the rain, at least not around here.

[@shainRylie]

was the ideal gas law used, or just Charles law? I'm not sure if the pressure differential was the key or the temp. change.

[@juliagardenhire1443]

Charles' law.

[@senkoukura2011]

They later on went to put dents in it to simulate a car that gets beat up ( normal for a teain car) Once it had dents in it the car did collapse.

[@shanestrains7179]

This happens more often than ppl think. Not only 2 train cars but also semi tankers. If u dont activate the pressure differential valve they will implode. And as many other have already said these tanks get beat up. Dents, warping, scratches. All these weaken the integrity of the tank making them more likely to fail

[@jackfox5738]

Implosions on real card tankers have definitely happened. They used one that was able to withstand it because it was built that way but many in the past are not

[@AI-Hallucination]

What a terrible way to die...

[@cole3774]

you wouldn't even have time to realize it. would be instant.

[@pasoundman]

Sine when was sream at atmospheric pressure at 300 degrees ?

[@southsportsoutdoors7522]

They did eventually get it to implode but they had to dent it first.

[@werD7054]

They called this myth busted, but it absolutely has happened in real life. These tank cars are used in much colder climates and often are beat up which amplify the negative pressure affects

[@Baughbe]

Wow, we studied things like that from 8th grade into college. The collapsing can on the hot plate was an 8th grade experiment. A course in structural engineering explains the rest. Consider the simple soda can. If it is undamaged (no dents at all) You can (after emptying it of soda) set it on the floor (upright) and stand on it (unless you weigh like over 200+ lbs). That thin thin wall in circular form spread the stress of the weight perfectly uniformly around the structure. *As long as there is NO point for which the stress to concentrate* One small dent in the side and it will collapse as soon as you put weight on it. Cause that flaw does not allow the stress to be uniform, it builds rapidly at the point of uneven geometry, and quickly overwhelms the material. Indeed if that tanker had a dent it would have collapsed. As others have long since pointed out that tanker cars over time get damaged and pick up collections of dents. The thick metal allows them to still withstand a good amount of pressure (positive or negative) but those will no longer be able to take an extreme pressure difference anymore.

[@kyleawesome8731]

Where you get all the money form? And stuff!

[@friiq0]

The pressure inside the can is low, not negative. The pressure differential from interior to exterior is negative

[@night3875]

"Last season", welcome back -regards, science channel

[@alansmithee419]

0:36. No it doesn't, the external air pressure does.

[@1czv13]

It is possible but the tank is thick and designed to take the pressure.You have a modern tank.If you fill a canister a metal canister with hot water and put it in a pool so that every side of the canister gets covered in cold water the canister would be crushed.So epic fail

[@someguyinamechsuit7062]

De-assing the Area.... I'm going to use that

[@capttelush539]

I’m shocked that didn’t work. I’ve seen milk tankers get imploded in similar situations