HowStuffWorks Autopsy: Olympic Torch
The Olympic torch is both a symbol and a tool. It symbolizes unity, peace and courage. It also allows runners to carry a flame from Olympia, Greece to the location of the Olympic Games.
Modern Olympic torches usually resemble old-fashioned wooden torches. The exact shape varies from relay to relay. For example, the 1996 Atlanta torch resembles a bundle of reeds, the 2002 Salt Lake City torch looks like an icicle and the 2006 Torino torch is a sleek metal rod.
All Olympic torches include methods for fuel storage and fuel delivery. These parts have one primary purpose: to produce a flame that will not go out, regardless of rain, snow or heavy wind.
Inside an Olympic torch is a small fuel tank that holds liquid fuel. Different designs use different fuels:
- Atlanta, 1996: propylene
- Sydney, 2000: 35% propane and 65% butane
- Torino, 2006: 40% propylene and 60% butane
The fuel travels up a fuel pipe to a combustion chamber. The exact shape of the chamber, the position of the tank and the method of delivery can vary from one design to another. The combustion area can vary as well. For example, the Atlanta and Torino torches have dual burners. The Sydney torch, on the other hand, has a combustor with a heater loop.
When the liquid fuel reaches the chamber, it usually passes through holes or materials that turn it into a gas. The fuel moves into the chamber at a steady rate, keeping the flame constant even in poor weather conditions.
Insulation protects the runners from heat and fire. An on/off switch starts the flow of fuel only when the runner's leg of the relay is about to start. Olympic torches do not have flints or other lighting system since runners light them from the previous runners' torches. Once lighted, the torch only has enough fuel to burn for about 15-20 minutes.
Photo courtesy: Georgia Institute of Technology/Sue Clites
1996 Atlanta Olympic Torch
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The idea for the Olympic torch relay comes from ancient Greece. The Greeks sent runners called heralds of peace to declare a truce before their Olympic games. At the start of the games, they lit a cauldron of flame on the altar of the goddess Hera. The flame burned throughout the games and symbolized purity, reason and peace.
The first modern Olympic torch relay was for 1936 Berlin games. Modern relays often include thousands of runners. Carrying the torch is a great honor. Although some famous people are torchbearers, many people who participate are average citizens.
Even though people refer to it as "the Olympic torch," each relay requires thousands of torches and runners - 12,000 of each in 2006. Each torch burns long enough for one leg of the relay, plus a little extra time, just in case.
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