The investigation is progressing. Almost a year after its implosion, it seems that researchers from the University of Houston are on a serious lead to explain the drama of the submersible Titan. According to the conclusions of their work published in April in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)“micro” imperfections in the carbon fiber hull of the submarine could be the cause of the sinking.
Review Newsweek quotes Roberto Ballarini, professor of civil and environmental engineering: “the integrity of the ‘Titan’ may have been compromised by the damage caused to the material used for its hull, which accumulated during the numerous voyages it made before imploding. » The head of the study, quoted in a press release, details: “the imperfections of the carbon fiber used to construct the hull of the ”Titan”, aggravated by the damage accumulated during the ship’s previous dives, could have make it vulnerable and would ultimately have caused the machine to collapse.
“Likely to deform” under high pressure
The hull of the submersible was therefore made of an alloy of titanium and carbon fibers. And, according to researchers who carried out computer simulations, this material is “likely to deform” in the event of high pressure and presents “imperfections” linked to its manufacturing method. This deformation due to tiny imperfections in their materials is called “buckling”.
As a reminder, on June 18, 2023, the Titan headed towards the wreck of the Titanic, located at a depth of nearly 4,000 meters in the North Atlantic. This tourist submersible, chartered by the American company OceanGate, had five passengers on board when it lost communication with the ship on the surface about an hour and 45 minutes after the start of its dive.
The American Stockton Rush, boss of OceanGate, the British businessman Hamish Harding, the former diver and navy soldier, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, the Pakistani tycoon Shahzada Dawood as well as his son Suleman have died.
