An Eindhoven resident was injured last weekend after a petanque ball in a fire pit had become so hot that it exploded. Little is known about the circumstances. It’s rare for a petanque ball to explode, but it certainly wasn’t the first time.
Anyone who holds such a shiny petanque ball in their hands does not immediately think of an explosion hazard. Yet it happened in a Swiss supermarket at the beginning of this century. A package of petanque balls for the campsite spontaneously exploded in the warehouse. Investigation revealed that the balls were filled with contaminated sand. That caused a chemical reaction and overpressure in one of the balls. Fortunately, the damage was limited.
Physics effects
Jan Kapel is an explosives expert at REASeuro in Riel. He also knows that an exploding petanque ball is an exception. “Such a ball consists of two different types of metal with a weld seam. These metals each expand in their own way. Such strong forces can then arise in a fire pit that the petanque ball can burst,” he explains.
According to the expert, the expansion of the metals is the most logical cause for a possible explosion. “You shouldn’t stand too close or you could get hurt.”
Cheap sets
Martin van der Linden of JDC-Sport has been a Dutch importer of balls of the Obut brand from France for forty years. “I’ve never experienced an explosion,” he says. The importer explains that the Obut balls from France are a lot more solid and meet competition standards.
According to Van der Linden, the quality of Asian balls often leaves much to be desired. “In case of explosions it is always these cheaper sets. Badly welded seams, sometimes filled with sand or there is moisture formation. When overheated or overpressure they fall apart. If such a ball explodes, the pieces can end up about twenty-five meters away .”
Van der Linden: “I have to knock it off, but fortunately an explosion has not happened to me yet. It will happen to you.”