Titan sub debris field: Parts of missing sub's cover found, expert says

BBC ^ | 6.22.2023

[libh8er]

Debris has been found in the search for the missing Titan submersible, reportedly including parts of its outside cover. Dive expert David Mearns told the BBC the president of the Explorers Club - which is connected to the diving and rescue community - says the debris includes "a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible". The US Coast Guard earlier confirmed a "debris field" had been found within the search area. It was located by a remote-controlled underwater search vehicle (ROV) near the wreck of the Titanic. A US Coast Guard news conference is scheduled for 1500 EST (1900 GMT) on Thursday afternoon. The Titan vessel went missing in a remote area of the North Atlantic on Sunday with a four-day oxygen supply for its crew of five.

Some experts have speculated that it could have suffered a catastrophic implosion as a result of a hull failure. The minivan-sized submersible was owned and operated by the private company OceanGate Expeditions. The firm's co-founder, Guillermo Söhnlein, told the BBC that he believes there may have been an "instantaneous implosion" of the craft. "If that's what happened, that's what would have happened four days ago," he said.

[Henchster]

We really missed an opportunity here. We could have had a FReepathon and raised enough money to buy both of them a seat.

[struggle]

I personally would have paid thousands to have both of them together, while Celine Dion’s music played in the background...

[rdcbn1]

Carbon fiber composites are completely unsuitable for these types of deep sea submersible applications for a large number of reasons.

[oldvirginian]

I just heard on the radio that they found the debris from the sub. Coast Guard says its a classic case of catastrophic implosion. Like I figured from the beginning.
Dude should have done some actual test to failure instead of relying on computer modeling.

[Churchillspirit]

One of the things I love about Free Republic is that whatever the subject there are FReepers with actual knowledge.

Thank you, Jim Robinson! God speed!!

[Spktyr]

They did do some testing and the vessel had made a number of trips down to Titanic and back. However, they had signs of problems earlier and ignored them, and they didn’t do the additional testing those problems indicated needed to happen.

Most importantly, they didn’t do pressure cycling tests to see how many trips the hull could safely make.

[oldvirginian]

I just heard on the radio that the Coast Guard found the sub debris 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. Called it a classic case of depth caused implosion.
Sad that the woke idiot took four others out (down?) With him.

I wonder if, at the second he realized he was doomed, he regretted his decision to rely on computer modeling and not testing to failure. I hope he had time to apologize to the others about killing them before they all died.

[TianaHighrider]

Bookmark,thanks.

[algore]

To: NavyShoe

That would be adiabatic compression (i.e., no heat transfer). Boyle’s Law...

P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2

T2 = T1 * P2V2/P1V1

Pretty toasty if the thing imploded in on itself. But I doubt it would fail like that. It would be over so quickly it really doesn’t matter.

______
To: Henchster
If they DID send out a distress signal, they may have had a tiny leak, that suddenly become a catastrophic event.

If they had a tiny leak, implosion would happen instantaneously. Imagine an egg with a thin shell under immense pressure, any leak would instantly weaken the shell around the leak and fracture the entire craft. I imagine that they bumped part of the Titanic and immediately imploded as the carbon fiber shell was compromised.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My theory is that it Exploded, not imploded

Big window was plastic

not from these guys https://www.uboatworx.com/news/fabrication-acrylic-viewports

but a 7” thick piece of acrylic that looks and is shaped kinda like a big cork

Center of big thick Acrylic piece flexes in by 1/2” each time it descends deeply.

Acrylic piece should probably be replaced every time or every few times it gets really flexed cause it weakens each time.

(a musk guy might have sent it down unmanned until it failed and then tried to understand why..)

anyway the acrylic fails, suddenly in microseconds the hull pressure goes from 6000psi pushing in, to negative psi because when the water comes in it the trapped air ignites.

Hull fractures outwardly and makes a debris field.

[frogjerk]

Tasteless

[linMcHlp]

Tx for that link.

[Spktyr]

Current statements from the authorities are that the debris fields are not consistent with an explosion but an implosion only.

[Spktyr]

Also, they apparently never made contact with the Titanic, so no bumping happened. It may have just been the hull had a defect, or the end cap glue (yes, glue) leaked.

[laplata]

That man knows his stuff. He wouldn’t have gone down in that death trap.

Thanks.

[libh8er]

Per today’s report the implosion occurred at only 1600 ft from the surface. That’s hardly any depth by oceanic standards. Lake Tahoe, a freshwater lake is more than that at 1645 ft. Hydrostatic pressure at 1600 ft of salt water is about 700 psi, again not much. This tells me there was a weak spot in the structure and it gave in as the balloon was descending.

[jjotto]

Uh, that’s 1600 ft from the Titanic, not from the surface.

[libh8er]

…leading to catastrophic failure of the whole structure.

[caww]

The carbon fiber used on the Titan was just 5 inches thick. I watched it being woven. Easy to see and understand why those experienced in the sub community warned about it and those who would not risk such a trip at the depths of the Titanic.

[libh8er]

You are right. That makes more sense now.

[caww]

I viewed a video of that glue being applied - by hand - onto the Titan. That and how the carbon fiber is woven would not have been sufficient for m to risk such depths with the pressures as they are the deep.