| This is the best guide I’ve found: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a50/1230517/ Goes into depth debunking most of the conspiracies I've heard of. My best ELI5 for the one you are asking about: Does a bar of chocolate need to melt completely into a puddle of liquid before it changes shape and becomes softer? Of course not. The chocolate bar will become mushy and deform before it becomes a liquid. Jet fuel burns at 800 - 1500 F, whereas steel melts at 2750. But just like chocolate on a warm day, it loses its strength at much lower temperatures. By 1500 degrees steel is at less than half of its strength. Have you ever wondered how ancient civilizations managed to melt metals, or create ceramics? After all, they didn't have jet fuel yet! Well, when some kilns use wood as a fuel source, they can burn at up to 2000 F! Wow! Isn't combustion neat? The WTC was full of flammable materials like wood, plastic, rubber, and cloth. Jet fuel burns at 1500, but just like a wood kiln, other sources of combustion can make things much hotter. TL;DR - You don't need to heat something to the point of being a puddle of liquid to weaken it. |