Carbon fiber, one of the Titan submersible's experimental materials, comes under scrutiny

AOL ^ | June 23, 2023 | TOM COSTELLO AND MELISSA CHAN AND MARLENE LENTHANG

[xxqqzz]

The one-of-a-kind Titan submersible that imploded on its descent to the site of the Titanic this week, killing all five passengers, was made with experimental materials, including carbon fiber, which experts say has not been pressure-tested over time in such extreme depths.

Since the fatal dive, the innovation behind the Titan and OceanGate Expeditions — the company that owned and operated the vessel for paid tours to the Titanic — has come under increased and intense scrutiny.

Days after the Titan was reported missing, sparking a frantic search, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that the 22-foot craft imploded, though officials do not yet know when or why.

[rdcbn1]

It was a very big clave indeed. Even then the hull was cured in sections and bonded together . Did look at 120 ft x 24 ft clave to do it in one part.

[Big Red Badger]

Predator B started with composite landing gear and swapped to Titanium after Fleet wide failures. The Fuselage and Wings were
Carbon Fiber with Stainless steel hard points.
Fabulous Machines!

[griffin]

unbelievable.

In this day this level of incompetence and total ignorance is mind boggling.

Oh, wait....

But really, what is the deal with the world today? Politics, technology, AI, germ warefare....we really are on borrowed time if idiots like this can rise to positions of colossal prominence while still breathing air. The gene pool really is not functioning efficiently right now, endangering the whole herd.

[griffin]

LOL!

Yep. I worked on the Cirrus SR20 composite aircraft development back in the 90’s.

Unreal the level of incompetence now. We see it at the federal level, obviously. I now assume it is all around us. Now I must assume it has infected bio-weapon containment and nuclear weapon safeguards as well.

The risk is high that we truly are on borrowed time for a major ‘thing’.

[ModelBreaker]

“No, they always tested it with people in it.”

I hope they have a good insurance carrier.

[griffin]

kinda like....

But not quite.

[rdcbn1]

You have a really cool job. Wanna buy a few nice CNC machines?

[sauropod]

.

[rdcbn1]

Technology gets more sophisticated but the human skill factors is definitely going down hill on average.Has been this way since the end of the cold war. But the really good guys are actually better than ever. There just are not too many around

[griffin]

BINGO

[griffin]

I would agree regarding our engineering and science fields.

I was more referring to the people who have been placed in positions of authority, management and cost controls over us.

[bert]

I will argue differently.

Rush was most likely a technical illiterate who dreamed up a solution to a problem. He just decided to make a CF pressure vessel and did.

At best, Rush was just an ignorant fool

[rdcbn1]

Oh yeah, management decision making just totally sucks these days. It's a huge problem.

[Does so]

“Rush bought the carbon fiber at a big discount, as it was too old to use on airplanes”.

Bought off eBay?

[Big Red Badger]

Yuppers...
They Went Woke.
I just Went.

[NorthMountain]

I have read that he bought it from Boeing ... that it was aged-out for use in aircraft.

For background, much of the 787 airframe is carbon composite. An airliner fuselage is a pressure vessel, but under nowhere near the stress of diving to >12,000 feet. Also, an airliner fuselage is pressurized from the inside, putting the fibers in tension rather than compression.

[griffin]

Roger that!

[Abathar]

I’m always interested in that...