Titan's carbon fibre structural issues explained

Feb 24, 2024

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OceanGate-owned submersible fell apart as it descended toward the Titanic wreckage this week, and investigators were looking for clues on Friday.

The cause of the deep-sea disaster is still unclear, but one expert believes the sub’s hull – its main body – may have failed.

According to Virginia Tech ocean engineering professor Stefano Brizzolara, the sub’s pressure hull may have fractured under pressure and caused the implosion.

“It is difficult to say what caused the structural failure in this case, but any small material and geometric imperfection, misalignment of connection flanges, tightening torque of bolted connection may have started the structural collapse,” Brizzolara said.

There were two different materials used to construct the Titan’s hull: carbon fiber-reinforced plastic and titanium.

When it fails, the carbon fiber element can break into small fragments, as it is “very prone to possible defects” and “has a more fragile behavior” than other materials.

Titan’s repeated voyages to the wreckage of the ocean liner may have also caused the hull to deform and shrink.

“These repeated deformation cycles may have started some material defects in the [carbon reinforced plastic] or some permanent deformations or misalignment between the two parts of the hull that were built with two different materials, which deform in a different way,” he said.

When the implosion occurred, any small leak at that depth would have sent water rushing in at a speed of about 1,000 km (621 miles) per hour, Brizzolara said.

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This sentence was added to his previous jail term, which already totaled 11 and a half years on fraud and other charges that he claims are politically motivated and baseless. Navalny’s political movement has been outlawed and labeled as “extremist” by the authorities.

The charges for which Navalny received this extended sentence include inciting and financing extremist activity, as well as creating an extremist organization, all related to his role in his now defunct movement inside Russia.

The authorities accused his movement of attempting to foment a revolution by destabilizing the socio-political situation.

Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent domestic critic, released a statement through his lawyers and supporters, asserting that he believes he is effectively serving a life sentence.

He accused the authorities of using such harsh sentences to intimidate the Russian people into political submission.

The verdict has drawn international condemnation from Western countries. The U.S. State Department called it an “unjust conclusion to an unjust trial,” while the European Union decried it as another politically motivated ruling and called for Navalny’s immediate release.

Navalny’s supporters view him as a symbol of resistance against the current Russian regime. He was detained in January 2021 upon returning to Russia from Germany, where he had received treatment for poisoning by a Soviet-era nerve agent.

The Kremlin denies involvement in his poisoning and claims that his case is purely a matter for the courts.

Navalny’s spokeswoman mentioned that he remains cheerful and optimistic despite the lengthy sentence, and there are concerns that he might be transferred to another penal colony with even harsher conditions.

He also faces another criminal case on terrorism charges, which could further prolong his time in prison.

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The investigation targets budget carriers like Ryanair, easyJet, and Vueling, without explicitly naming any specific airlines. These airlines charge passengers for hand luggage, particularly trolley bags larger than a certain size, and may impose additional fees for seat selection.

The concern raised by the ministry is that by separating such fees from the initial ticket prices, these airlines offer competitive prices in their advertisements that do not truly reflect the total cost paid by consumers. The practice of displaying lower base prices without including essential fees can mislead consumers into believing they are getting a better deal than they actually are.

If the investigation finds these airlines guilty of deceptive pricing practices, they could face fines of up to one million euros ($1.09 million), and potentially eight times the profit made from such fees if it exceeds one million euros.

This issue is not new, as in 2019, a Spanish court ruled that Ryanair’s policy of charging a fee for hand luggage was “abusive.” However, Ryanair continued with its policy, citing the airlines’ commercial freedom to determine the size of their cabin baggage.

The investigation also highlights concerns about internet search engines potentially giving an unfair advantage to airlines that offer tickets excluding additional fees, making their prices appear more competitive than their competitors’ prices.

As of now, the investigation is ongoing, and further updates may come from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs as they continue to assess the practices of these budget airlines.

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In July, an incorrect command caused the spacecraft, which was sent to explore space in 1977, to change its position and lose contact with Earth. However, an “interstellar shout” – a powerful instruction – helped reorient its antenna back towards Earth.

Mission controllers had to wait 37 hours to determine if the interstellar command had worked, given Voyager 2’s distance of billions of miles from Earth. Using the “highest-power transmitter,” Nasa sent a message to the spacecraft during optimal conditions, aligning the antenna with the command.

Until the recent communication was established, Voyager 2 had been unable to receive commands or transmit data to Nasa’s Deep Space Network.

However, the space agency confirmed that data had been received from the spacecraft, and it is now operating normally.

Nasa expects Voyager 2, equipped with various scientific instruments, to continue its planned trajectory through the universe. The probe is designed to reset its position several times each year to maintain its antenna pointed towards Earth.

Voyager 2, along with its twin Voyager 1, is the only spacecraft to operate beyond the heliosphere, the Sun’s protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields. Voyager 2 flew by Neptune and Uranus, while Voyager 1 has become humanity’s most distant spacecraft, nearly 15 billion miles away from Earth. Both probes are anticipated to continue their journeys through space after running out of power, which is expected sometime after 2025.

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