According to the US Coast Guard, the Titan submarine, which attracted worldwide attention after it disappeared while conducting an expedition to the Titanic wreck, suffered a "catastrophic explosion". Authorities said the five people on the submarine are believed to have died in the explosion.
How does such an explosion occur and what kind of impact will it have had on the people inside the submarine. Arun Bansil, distinguished professor of physics explained to Northeastern Global News what might have happened to the submarine and the possible consequences.
If submarines are able to dive very deep, why was the Titan submarine apparently unable to?
“The key is the design of the submarine's hull against the huge external water pressure trying to crush the submarine. Much of the existing technology is based on steel, titanium and aluminum. However, the hull of the Titan submarine was an experimental design. It was made up mostly of carbon fiber, which has the advantage of being lighter than titanium or steel, so the Titan could have more room for passengers. The properties of carbon fibers for deep-sea applications, however, are not well understood. They can crack and break suddenly.” Bansil explained.
"Also, the Titan had previously performed deep sea dives several times, which will have contributed to the damage to the submarine's hull to make it more prone to catastrophic failure."
What causes a submarine to explode?
St. ed. In the case of Titan, we are not dealing with "explosion", but with "implosion". In Albanian, both words are translated the same, but refer to two opposite phenomena. In an explosion , the force acts from the outside, but in an implosion , the force acts from the inside. An illustrative photo to better understand the two types of explosions.
"When a submarine is deep in the ocean, it experiences force on its surface due to water pressure. When this force becomes greater than the body can withstand, the vessel explodes.
What does the "catastrophic explosion" mean for the five people inside the submarine?
"When the body explodes due to external pressure, a large amount of energy is released and the five people will have died instantly. They haven't experienced pain or they wouldn't have understood what hit them."
