Drafting.- After the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible last month, the experts have begun to question cost-cutting measures that may have contributed to the disaster. The Titan, a unique project envisioned by Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, was intended to revolutionize marine exploration.
His design was hailed as a new era in deep-sea traveland its unique mix of materials, primarily carbon fiber, promised to make these expeditions more accessible and, more importantly, more profitable.
The submersible began taking people to the wreckage. Titanic in 2021charging up $250,000 per trip. However, the tragic event on June 18, which claimed the lives of Rush and four passengers, has cast a shadow over these ambitions.
Unraveling the history of the Titan, theories grow that the tragic disappearance of the ship could be due to a series of ill-conceived decisions aimed at reducing costs.
For example, the Titan was praised for its more spacious cylinder-shaped cockpit made of carbon fiber, a departure from the sphere-shaped titanium cockpits used by most submersibles. However, some experts argue that this change in hull geometry may have been the Achilles heel of the Titancausing it to bend under the intense pressures of the depths.
In addition, the causes of the implosion could be in its transport to the site of the Titanic. Instead of being safely on the deck of a mother ship, as is customary in the industry, the Titan was swept away in heavy seas on a makeshift platform by a cheaper ship, the Polar Prince.
For example, the Alvin, a US government research submersible that has completed more than 4,500 deep-sea dives since 1973, is transported to the dive site on the deck of the mother ship, a method that potentially protects the vessel from damage during the transit.
Experts suggest that towing the Titan through rough water could have damaged the vessel before it even began its fateful dive.
Another point of contention is the material of the Titan’s hull. One of Rush’s major innovations was the use of carbon fiber for much of the hull, which is cheaper and lighter than titanium. However, experts argue that carbon composites are much more resistant to tensile than crushing forces. The Titan’s Hull 15cm thickhad been subjected to repeated stresses over the course of some two dozen previous dives, which could have caused tiny, undetectable cracks that could have become critical over time.
The Titan’s design also called for attaching its carbon fiber tube to the titanium end caps with a powerful glue. However, different materials change shape at different rates under pressure, which makes it difficult to maintain a tight union. If the carbon fiber tube was compressed in a slightly different way than the titanium end caps, the seal between the two could be compromised, especially after repeated dives.
Finally, OceanGate’s refusal to seek external tests and certifications for the Titan it also had consequences. In a 2019 company blog post, OceanGate criticized the third-party certification process as slow and stifling innovation. However, experts argue that it is standard engineering procedure to seek outside expertise to ensure that vessels conform to the highest standards of the industry.
After this tragedy, the sector faces the consequences of these measures of reduction of costs and potential risks they pose for the future of deep-sea exploration. In the race for innovation and profit, taking security shortcuts can lead to catastrophe.
