Doesn't the pressure need to be pretty significant to affect freezing point?
The experiment as roughly explained would be at roughly 1 atm, and even if you filled the steel container with water before freezing, the volume of liquids is essentially static; although the volume of the water as it (attempts) to transition from liquid to solid would (attempt to) increase, I can't imagine that this pressure exertion alone would be near enough to breach a sturdy steel container.
Furthermore, I'm not so sure the pressure of expansion of the cold water alone, inside the container, would be high enough to depress the freezing point and prevent the transition.
I'm tired so maybe this is just incoherence kicking in...some previous posters may know their chem. better than me to be able to answer this.
Last edited by -CARNIFEX-[LOC] (2009-02-04 22:36:08)