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Continuing along yesterday's line of thought, the difference between "proof" and "resistant" is pretty fuzzy, especially so outside the technical world. A wrist watch that's "water-resistant" to 100 meters isn't really "waterproof," but it's a good bet that, if you fall into a swimming pool while wearing such a watch, it will not suffer any internal water damage.
Resistance is a variable. There are "water-resistant" wrist watches rated for 100 meters and those rated for 50 meters. At the other end, only watches certified for scuba diving are so resistant that they can be advertised as "waterproof."
A long time ago, a client advised me that you could almost never go wrong using "water-resistant" for "водонепроницаемый" (literally, "unpenetrable by water"), since even "waterproof" scuba watches will admit water if, say, they are exposed to excessive pressure for too long a time. The same kind of logic applies when using the words "fireproof" and "fire-resistant."
However, the same logic does not apply to "explosion proof" and "explosion-resistant."
According to the National Electrical Code, an electrical equipment enclosure that's "explosion proof" means that the enclosure can contain any internal explosion and will prevent sparks resulting from such an explosion from escaping into the ambient environment. The term does not mean either (a) that internal explosions are not possible, or (b) that the enclosure can withstand forces from an external explosion.
"Explosion-resistant" means that a piece of equipment can survive an external explosion (although again, there's that "resistant" word... survival will depend on various factors).
Back to work!
Cheers...
Resistance is a variable. There are "water-resistant" wrist watches rated for 100 meters and those rated for 50 meters. At the other end, only watches certified for scuba diving are so resistant that they can be advertised as "waterproof."
A long time ago, a client advised me that you could almost never go wrong using "water-resistant" for "водонепроницаемый" (literally, "unpenetrable by water"), since even "waterproof" scuba watches will admit water if, say, they are exposed to excessive pressure for too long a time. The same kind of logic applies when using the words "fireproof" and "fire-resistant."
However, the same logic does not apply to "explosion proof" and "explosion-resistant."
According to the National Electrical Code, an electrical equipment enclosure that's "explosion proof" means that the enclosure can contain any internal explosion and will prevent sparks resulting from such an explosion from escaping into the ambient environment. The term does not mean either (a) that internal explosions are not possible, or (b) that the enclosure can withstand forces from an external explosion.
"Explosion-resistant" means that a piece of equipment can survive an external explosion (although again, there's that "resistant" word... survival will depend on various factors).
Back to work!
Cheers...
