What Causes a Rainbow Pattern When Heating Metal?

[Fusilli_Jerry89]

I was just curious of something and was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this.

I have a metal screen (like the kind you have on your water taps). I think it is made out of steel or something? Anyways, I was bored one day so I put a lighter up to it till it started glowing red. After the glowing died down, I noticed a rainbow-like pattern perimeter around the previously-glowing-red circle. Almost like the pattern found in oil on the street.

Does anyone know what could be causing this? Could it just be something the metal is coded in that is being pushed to the outside or something?

 

[Borek]

Thin layer of oxides. Perceived color depends on the layer thickness. It is not much different from the colors seen when you put drop of gas or oil on water surface.

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[quicknote]

I would be interested in exploring this phenomenon further. It is possible that the metal screen is made of a material that contains certain elements or compounds that react to high heat by emitting light. This phenomenon is known as incandescence and is commonly observed in metals such as steel, iron, and titanium. When these metals are heated to a high temperature, the atoms become energized and emit light in the visible spectrum.

The rainbow-like pattern you observed could be caused by the interference of light waves as they pass through the heated metal. This is similar to the effect seen in oil slicks on water, where the different layers of oil create a rainbow pattern due to the varying thickness of the layers.

It is also possible that the metal screen has a thin layer of oxide or other coating on its surface, which can also contribute to the rainbow-like pattern when heated. This coating could be reacting to the heat and producing different colors.

To determine the exact cause of this phenomenon, further experimentation and analysis would be needed. This could include studying the composition of the metal screen and its coating, as well as conducting controlled heating experiments to observe the effects on the metal. Overall, this is an interesting observation and could lead to further understanding of the properties of different materials under high heat.