A new report suggests that the tragic Titan submarine may have succumbed to 'micro-buckling' after its exterior was eroded by multiple dives.
Experts have shed light on why the ill-fated Titan submarine imploded during its expedition to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate, vanished on June 18, 2023, while diving to explore the Titanic wreck.
Researchers at the University of Houston have released new reports on how thin-walled structures can buckle due to minute imperfections in the materials.
In a paper published in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), research lead and professor of civil and environmental engineering, Roberto Ballarini, proposed that flaws in the carbon fiber used to construct the Titan sub's hull might have led to the catastrophic implosion.
Ballarini further theorized that any damage accumulated from the vessel's previous dives could have made it susceptible to 'micro-buckling.'
He explained buckling in simple terms: "You take a long spaghetti and you push on it with two fingers. What's going to happen? It's going to buckle essentially, it's going to snap. That's what buckling is. It's when you compress something and it deforms by a significant amount because it's an instability."
However, they examined vessels of similar shapes and materials.
Other theories for the submarine's implosion include issues with the hull's carbon fiber composite material. Small, undetectable imperfections can put vessels like the Titan at risk of collapsing under intense pressure.
Following the complete implosion of the ship, it is unlikely that researchers will ever pinpoint the exact flaw that triggered the tragic event.
The Titan submersible lost contact with its support vessel on Sunday, June 18, during a descent to the Titanic wreck, located 12,500 feet beneath the surface. Days later, its debris was recovered, having suffered a 'catastrophic implosion.'
The documentary, produced by ITN, is set to be released in June, marking one year after the tragedy. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the multi-million dollar search operation and the lessons learned from the disaster.
The documentary reveals never-before-heard audio capturing mysterious 'banging' sounds.
The sound, described as steady and regular, raised hopes that it might be a distress signal from the five men on board.
Former Navy submarine captain Ryan Ramsey, featured in the documentary, commented on the sound: "It could be somebody knocking, the symmetry between those knockings is very unusual. It's rhythmic, it's like somebody is making that sound, and the fact that it is repeated is really unusual."
Tourists Hamish Harding, 58, Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, French Navy pilot Paul-Henry (PH) Nargeolet, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush all perished on the submersible.
