Titanic tourist sub goes missing sparking search

[Pearlman]

Crude math: 12,000 feet and I think they said 2 hours to get down.

12,000/120 = 100'/min

1.74x60x100 = 10,500 feet is maybe the depth

As to why 1,600 feet away? Currents maybe...

Thanks. Every other news item seems to indicate a transit time of 2:30mins actually but good enough. We don’t know when exactly a failure warning was generated - at 1:45 or before, hence some unknown variables about actual depth of implosion…

 

[rhwestfall]

I said it was "back of an envelope math"...

So substitute in 12,500 (recorded sea floor), and 2.5 instead of 2 (so 150) and see what you get...

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Do we mostly agree with the limited information we have so far that this must have happened really fast? Like the alarm to surface goes off (structural integrity whatever), they dump weight to ascend and then implosion? As far as we know they didn't communicate anything to the surface, so I'm assuming this happened really fast?

LMGTFY

I had to Google that

 

[Dan]

Thanks. Every other news item seems to indicate a transit time of 2:30mins actually but good enough. We don’t know when exactly a failure warning was generated - at 1:45 or before, hence some unknown variables about actual depth of implosion…

James Cameron told Anderson Cooper during the CNN interview posted up thread, that Titan dropped ballast (perhaps the crew heard the crack) and started to ascend before the implosion took place.

 

[Dan]

If it's TRUE they were on their way up to the surface.
Is it possible with carbon fiber, that it was slowly crumpling? That's why it was not as definite a loud bang?

I kind wonder in the military is just saying that to down play their capabilities

According to the USG Rear Admiral the debris field is quite large and the carbon composite hull was not seen, perhaps blown out into pieces. Only the titanium end caps found intact. That would indicate a loud bang to me. As the Admiral described, it’s a catastrophic event with a significant broad band sound.

 

[rhwestfall]

It didn't go "bang", it went "crinkle".... Think beer can in a vise (damn autocorrupt), not strapped to a cherry bomb...

You need to work in a materials lab to [really] appreciate the energy release of a crush...

 

[Dan]

It didn't go "bang", it went "crinkle".... Think beer can in a view, not strapped to a cherry bomb...

You need to work in a materials lab to appreciate the energy release of a crush...

I guess the Admiral has never worked in materials lab before.

So you have heard an atmospheric carbon composite cylinder imploding in the 6000 psi water pressure?

 

[Wibble]

The pressure on that hull was something like 160,000 tonnes / 352 million pounds -- the weight of several decent sized warships.

Maffs workings (this is rough and rounded):

• Assuming cylinder of 2m diameter by 5m length (doesn't include hemispheres either end; can’t find the actual dimensions) = surface area of circa 40 square metres (400,000 cm2)
• Each square centimetre (think size of your fingernails) of that capsule has a pressure of 400 bar (=400kg/880 lbs) pressing against it (e.g. driving a car over your fingernail)
• Total pressure bearing on the capsule is 400,000 cm2 x 400 kg = 160,000,000kg = 160,000 tons
  = 352 million pounds

Which is why it's normal to use very thick spheres are used with very very thick windows.

Now, the carbon fibre idea to make a tube...

Edit: mistake - there’s 10,000 square centimetres in a square metre (100cm x 100cm)

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

James Cameron told Anderson Cooper during the CNN interview posted up thread, that Titan dropped ballast (perhaps the crew heard the crack) and started to ascend before the implosion took place.

oh god, i hope not.

 

[edwants2dive]

Will be very interesting to hear @Subfiend take on this most tragic incident.

I believe I read somewhere during this situation that @Subfiend said he was supposed to be on that voyage. He had to cancel due to a client issue. I must say I for one am glad he did. I also would love to hear his take on this whole situation.