why cookware does not melt down
On stove supllied with butane gas which has a flame temperature of 1970°C?
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/flame-temperatures-gases-d_422.html
why cookware does not melt down
On stove supllied with butane gas which has a flame temperature of 1970°C?
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/flame-temperatures-gases-d_422.html
The answer is that cookware transfers the energy from the flame into whatever is being cooked. For instance a pot of boiling water will stay unmelted until all the water has evaporated, after which the pot will start heating up towards the melting point of the metal it is made from.
This is called heat conductance and is used in both cookware and liquid bi-propellant rocket engines (which burn closer to 3000°C). In fact some rocket engines have been made from aluminium with a melting point as low as ~460°C depending on which alloy is used.
Cookware has a large surface area and radiates heat. Also conducts heat to water or food it is in contact with. You reach a steady state at some temperature that is less than the melting point.
If you used a small piece of metal, you might get some melting. For example, if you put a post-1983 penny on your burner, you can probably metal the zinc inside to form a brass alloy.