How an Engineering Failure Led to the Titan Submarine Implosion

 

How an Engineering Failure Led to the

Titan Submarine Implosion

And, you know, I've broken some rules to make this. I think I've broken them with with logic and good engineering behind me, the carbon fiber and titanium. There's a rule. You don't do that. Well, I did this morning. Another trip to the Titanic, another captain who didn’t listen. The rule he broke? Constructing the Titan out of carbon fiber and titanium.

As pointed out by Igor Sushko on Twitter, these materials are known for their strength but also their brittleness. This morning And the ROV, a remote operated vehicle from the vessel Horizon Arctic, discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible approximately 1600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the seafloor.

But the Titan’s downfall wasn’t just due to the material choice. The frame was reportedly subjected to something called galvanic corrosion. This destructive process happens when different metals, like the titanium frame and the metal nuts and bolts of the Titan, are in contact with each other in an electrolyte, such as seawater.

The seawater acts as a perfect conductor, allowing electric current to flow between the metals, corroding the material. The carbon fiber hull, while strong, is also a good conductor. Carbon fiber, when it fails, fails catastrophically, blowing up into splinters. When the Titan imploded, it was instant death for all passengers.

The search that followed? A grim formality. The crew, including Rush himself, were navigating the depths in a vessel with no seats, one tiny bathroom, and controlled by a device resembling a video game controller. A claustrophobic setting for a catastrophic event. Despite warnings about the Titan’s safety, the vessel continued its fateful journey.

A stark reminder of the price of ignoring caution. So, how did broken rules and engineering failures lead to the submarine implosion? It’s a story of ambition, innovation, and the tragic cost of overlooking safety. In the silent depths of the ocean, the echoes of the Titan’s implosion serve as a solemn reminder of the price of progress.