sealed liquids

[snozberries]

In a sub-zero environment, sealed containers of liquid (soda, water bottles etc) would be destroyed the first time they froze.

[a-z-booka]

In a sub-zero environment, sealed containers of liquid (soda, water bottles etc) would be destroyed the first time they froze.

No they wouldn't.

Every plastic bottle or soda can has a bit of air in it for safety reasons, which can be compressed during soda crystallization. When soda/water freezes it expands per additional 100ml of volume for every liter of liquid soda/water, thus compressing the air + carbon dioxide mixture in the bottle/can.

Plastic soda bottles and aluminum soda cans are designed to withstand high pressure. The pressure inside the soda can or bottle usually is in the range of 2-3 atm (~30-45 psi), and they can safely withstand up to 6 atm (~90 psi) of pressure. Although they can endure even more. Plastic bottles and not very distensible, especially in sub-zero temperatures, they usually explode at 7.5-8 atm (~110-120 psi). But, soda cans, due to very thin walls combined with great ductility of aluminum, will deform but not break.

In these videos you can see the proofs of that:

[spoil][bBvideo 560,340:22k4u7ed]

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[snozberries]

Er, you don't need anything other than a freezer to prove this. I've had both cans and plastic bottles break in my freezer.

[a-z-booka]

Er, you don't need anything other than a freezer to prove this. I've had both cans and plastic bottles break in my freezer.

What was in them? Was there any air in them?

[Trandor]

What cans? what bottles? Would be interesting to know.

I occasionally put bottles and cans in my freezer to cool them quicker. And every now and then I forget about putting them in there. So far none have exploded. Maybe I was lucky.