A search is underway for a missing submersible that carries people to view the wreckage of the Titanic. Canadian officials say the five-person submersible was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John's, Newfoundland and that the search is being led by the U.S. Coast Guard. The owner of the ship that launched the submersible confirmed that it was operated by OceanGate Expeditions, which has been operating annual voyages since 2021 to the wreckage of the iconic ocean liner. In a statement, the company said it is working to bring the crew back safely.
Everything cracks under pressure, I’m not exactly sure what the above commenter is getting at. If the sub was steel the walls would be thinner. With titanium the walls would be thicker. Without knowing the dimensions of the material we can’t know whether it was built to high enough standards.
I mean, anything will crack under pressure. The biggest issue I see is uneven compression of the two materials coupled with different fatigue behaviors. I’d feel a lot safer if the whole submarine was titanium, honestly. Barring that, a couple inches of solid steel would be just as comforting.
Titanium cracks under pressure, I take it?
Or is the join between the cap and the fiberglass body potentially more of a problem?
Everything cracks under pressure, I’m not exactly sure what the above commenter is getting at. If the sub was steel the walls would be thinner. With titanium the walls would be thicker. Without knowing the dimensions of the material we can’t know whether it was built to high enough standards.
I mean, anything will crack under pressure. The biggest issue I see is uneven compression of the two materials coupled with different fatigue behaviors. I’d feel a lot safer if the whole submarine was titanium, honestly. Barring that, a couple inches of solid steel would be just as comforting.
I would be worried about both. Joining two very different materials that need to deal with crazy pressures seems like a really bad idea.
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Good point!
bUt iT wAs dEsIgNeD wItH NASA iNpUt
As I understand it, titanium is strong but brittle. It won’t bend, but it will break.