Explode string by one or more spaces or tabs

$parts = preg_split('/\s+/', $str);

To separate by tabs:

$comp = preg_split("/\t+/", $var);

To separate by spaces/tabs/newlines:

$comp = preg_split('/\s+/', $var);

To seperate by spaces alone:

$comp = preg_split('/ +/', $var);