Some crazy pictures of all the parts of the submersible that have been recovered, including the front titanium end cap with a lift strap running right through where the window would have been which really shows that the hull and occupants definitely suffered a violent end.
If the carbon fibre hull collapsed, these remains make sense. The titanium cap has no reason to also shatter, and the other major piece looks to be the tail section that was not exposed to pressure and probably protected by the cap on that end. The force would have radiated in a cylindrical fashion, but not out the ends, being the only material on this sub suitable for a pressure vessel.
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If the carbon fibre hull collapsed, these remains make sense. The titanium cap has no reason to also shatter, and the other major piece looks to be the tail section that was not exposed to pressure and probably protected by the cap on that end. The force would have radiated in a cylindrical fashion, but not out the ends, being the only material on this sub suitable for a pressure vessel.
This works for all three likely failure methods. Delaminating of Carbon fiber, then shell collapse, glued joint failure, and port hole failure
An interesting read if someone is curious on failure modes of composite pressure hulls. Essentially, it's a case of we still don't know fully and needs further investigation. My main concern was the bearing load from the end caps would have been massive on either end of the carbon cylinder, which to me sounds like buckling failure would have been a candidate.
An interesting read if someone is curious on failure modes of composite pressure hulls. Essentially, it's a case of we still don't know fully and needs further investigation. My main concern was the bearing load from the end caps would have been massive on either end of the carbon cylinder, which to me sounds like buckling failure would have been a candidate.
Even to a layperson, it seems obvious that having titanium end caps exerting massive pressure in the wrong direction of the load plane of the carbon fiber is the stupidest engineering idea ever.
The way this is built from the videos is basically if you take a bunch of fiber impregnated with glue, and wind it around a spool. Then you take out the spool and you have a cylinder. Then you put two domes on the ends that push into it when under pressure.
The thing is virtually asking to be crushed as the carbon fibers are all running parallel to the endcaps.
Imagine a wooden barrel standing up on the ground. It's strong, a circus elephant can stand on top of it. But then, you wrap a bunch of rope around the barrel, held together by glue. Then you remove the barrel from inside and you have a cylinder made of glued together rope which is basically a pile of circles on top of each other. Then you put a barrel lid on top of the pile of rope and try to put on elephant on top of it again. Guess what happens?
The barrel is strong because the force exerted is in the correct load-bearing direction of the solid planks that make up the barrel. But if you remove these and replace it with ropes wrapped around in a circle, it will just buckle and collapse like you said.
Last edited by Hack&Lube; 06-28-2023 at 01:01 PM.
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They have found more of it than I thought they would. I thought it would be in little pieces not huge chunks like it is.
all the surviving pieces are the ones that were outside the pressure vessel (and hence didn't undergo a violent pressure change) and made of the materials you actually want to make a sub out of (titanium, steel, etc.) and likely were blown clear or simply fell off once the carbon fiber pressure vessel imploded and the contents vaporized.
I do wonder if they are ever able to determine whether they had advanced warning before the implosion. There was some discussion about them dropping the ballasts and ascending before the implosion, but I don't know how they know that. I guess if they find the ballasts and they are relatively far away from the other wreckage, it would be sign. But even if they are close, it wouldn't necessarily mean anything.
I have listened to some videos that suggest, depending on how stressed the capsule was, there could have been anywhere from no warning to several minutes or audible sounds before the instantaneous implosion occurred.
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My own personal (and wildly baseless) speculation is that the carbon fiber hull started to crack and that porthole popped like a cork out of a champagne bottle and then it was all over.
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Firstly the absolutely shredded Carbon Fiber hull...but that also could have been caused subsequent to the blowout...
The one that stood out to me though is running a tie-down strap through the GAPING HOLE that should have been the porthole.
They will probably never find that plexiglass window.
Ya, but the porthole would have been blasted outward at compression if the CF tube failed anyway. I guess if they see signs of outward deformation in the porthole frame you can rule out the porthole as the cause, because it would already be flexing inward at the time, and if it failed first, it wouldn't blast outward.
Ya, but the porthole would have been blasted outward at compression if the CF tube failed anyway. I guess if they see signs of outward deformation in the porthole frame you can rule out the porthole as the cause, because it would already be flexing inward at the time, and if it failed first, it wouldn't blast outward.
We dont know that it did.
The porthole may well have blow inward and essentially shattered the interior of the carbon fiber hull.
But thats just a guess. It could have been anything. That thing is trashed.
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