Spontaneous combustion is a type of combustion which occurs by self heating (increase in temperature due to exothermic internal reactions), followed by thermal runaway (self heating which rapidly accelerates to high temperatures) and finally, ignition.
Read more about Spontaneous Combustion: Cause and Ignition, Affected Materials, References
Famous quotes containing the words spontaneous and/or combustion:
“They [creative children] ask more questions than most children. Theyre usually spontaneous and enthusiastic. Their ideas are unique and occasionally strike other kids as weird. Theyre independent. Not that they dont care at all what other kids think, but theyre able to do their thing despite the fact that their peers may think its strange. And they have lots and lots of ideas.”
—Silvia Rimm (20th century)
“The night has been unruly. Where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down, and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i th air, strange screams of death,
And prophesying with accents terrible
Of dire combustion and confused events,
New-hatched to the woeful time.”
—William Shakespeare (15641616)