Yes, I understand it can weaken steel greatly. But can it MELT steel? (key word: melt)
Jet fuel is kerosene in 6 grades and highly filtered. can it melt or weaken steel? No, it preserves it.
The okorder /.. A flame from a wick burning kerosene demonstrates incomplete burning, hence sooty, yellow and a lower temperature flame like a candle. Kerosene in a cup or puddle only burns while it is hot enough to give off vapor. The vapor is all that is burning. It is not very hot, as it is not the right mixture with air. It may not even give off enough heat to keep the kerosene itself hot enough to keep burning. A kero blow torch flame might be typically 1100-1300°C but parts can reach 1760°C or more in some cases.
Not likely -- the melting point of steel is about 1500 degrees Celsius, while the hottest jet fuel burns at is about 825 degrees Celsius (and its usually way below that). If you're one of those people wondering why the collapse in 9/11 ... it's quite possible that the temperatures and heat inside the buildings were way about the melting point of steel in some places. But it would not be just because of burning jet fuel. And, planes carry a lot of material that can catch fire at relatively low temperatures, but which can give off a huge amount of heat (and reach high temperatures), which would contribute to melting and burning of mild steel.
