(NewsNation) — Researchers at the University of Houston believe they have deciphered what caused the Titan submersible to implode while on a dive to the Titanic.
The submersible, owned by OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact with a support vessel as it began a journey to the wreck of the doomed ocean liner. That kicked off a multi-day search effort to try to find the submersible before oxygen supplies would run out for the five people on board.
At the end of the search, however, the U.S. Coast Guard determined that the vessel suffered a catastrophic implosion that would have killed all on board instantly. Debris from the submersible was recovered from the ocean floor for investigators but the questions about the cause of the implosion.
In a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, researchers shared the result of computer simulations to suggest that the submersible’s shape and the material used to build it could have led to the disaster.
Most submersibles are spherical, allowing pressure to be evenly distributed around them, while the Titan was a cylindrical vessel to allow more space for passengers. While a perfectly shaped cylinder could withstand large amounts of pressure, imperfections in its shape could lead to uneven pressure distribution that could cause the walls to buckle.
The submersible was also constructed with carbon fiber and titanium, rather than just titanium or steel, which could have played a role. Carbon fiber is strong but subject to more wear and tear than titanium or steel. Any weakness in the material could have been enough to cause an implosion.
The conclusions are in line with theories put forth by experts at the time of the disaster, who noted that OceanGate touted its innovative designs which were a departure from the standard choices for deep-sea exploration.
Some who had been on the Titan or who had turned down opportunities to join a journey had expressed safety concerns, as had engineers working for the company and deep-sea diving experts.
OceansGate suspended operations after the implosion.
