A study published in April estimates that “micro” imperfections in the carbon fiber hull of the submarine, combined with its numerous trips to sea, would have precipitated its destruction.
Almost a year After the sinking of the submarine Titan , which had the whole world in suspense, the reasons for its implosion remain unknown. But researchers at the University of Houston in Texas may have solved the mystery. This tourist submersible, chartered by the American company OceanGate, disappeared on June 18 while diving towards the wreck of the Titanic, at a depth of nearly 4,000 meters. Significant resources had been deployed in the area, in the hope of finding the five passengers, including French scientist Paul-Henri Nargeolet, but debris was ultimately found at the bottom of the sea.
The implosion thesis was quickly favored. It is confirmed in a study published in mid-April in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reports the American magazine in particular Newsweek . For the scientists behind this work, “microphone” Imperfections in the hull of the submersible, made of an alloy of titanium and carbon fibers, are believed to be the cause of the disaster.
“Inevitable imperfections”
After computer simulations, scientists at the University of Houston concluded that imperfections in the hull of the Titan, aggravated by previous outings at sea, could have made it vulnerable to deformation under the pressure of the water. The submersible would then have reached a breaking point and the entire structure would have collapsed, underlines Roberto Ballarini, professor of civil engineering and head of the study, in a press release. Although titanium and carbon fibers are very strong, they are very thin and vulnerable to deformation. Any imperfection therefore greatly weakens the general structure.
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“The Titan’s integrity may have been compromised by damage to the materials used for its hull, which accumulated over the many voyages it made before its implosion”details the scientist, pointing “the inevitable imperfections” linked to its manufacture. Before boarding, the oceanologist Paul-Henri Nargeolet had also confided to those close to him that “not have confidence in this new composite material submarine“. He nevertheless wanted to be there, “for the beauty of the expedition“.
On June 18, 2023, five people died aboard the Titan, just a few hours after leaving the surface: the boss of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, the Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, the British businessman Hamish Harding, 58, Pakistani Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman, 19. Several pieces of debris were found on the seabed, some 500 meters from the wreck of the Titanic, in the North Atlantic.
