Spontaneous-combustion meaning

The bursting into flame of a mass of material as a result of chemical reactions within the substance, without the addition of heat from an external source. Oily rags and damp hay, for example, are subject to spontaneous combustion.
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The process of catching fire as a result of heat generated by internal chemical action, and not from an exterior spark, flame, etc.
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Ignition of a substance, such as oily rags or hay, caused by a localized heat-increasing reaction between the oxidant and the fuel and not involving addition of heat from an outside source.
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Combustion without an external source of heat.
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Spontaneous-combustion Sentence Examples

  • Sublimed sulphur also results from the spontaneous combustion of coal seams containing pyrites.

  • In some mining districts the coal is liable to spontaneous combustion.

  • Prairie fires or spontaneous combustion have ignited many coal seams. Some have already burnt out; others still emit smoke and sulphurous fumes from the crevices in the hillsides, and through the fissures may be seen the glowing coal and rock.

  • The property of the semi-drying oils to absorb oxygen is accelerated by spreading such oils over a large surface, notably over woollen or cotton fibres, when absorption proceeds so rapidly that frequently spontaneous combustion will ensue.

  • "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion.

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