Titan submersible may have imploded due to 'micro-buckling', new research suggests

7 May 2024, 15:14 | Updated: 7 May 2024, 15:19

New research has revealed an explanation as to why the doomed Titan submersible imploded on its expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic last year.

Five people died after the submersible disappeared in June 2023, sparking an international rescue effort as experts raced to find the 21-foot vessel in the days before its oxygen supplies ran out.

However, it later emerged that the sub had suffered a catastrophic implosion because of the massive water pressure exerted on the hull.

In a new paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers from the University of Houston studied how thin-walled structures can buckle as a result of miscroscopic imperfections in their materials.

Research lead and professor of civil and environmental engineering, Roberto Ballarini, suggested these imperfections in the carbon fiber used to build the hull could be to blame for the implosion.

Any damage that had built up from the vessel's previous dives could have made it vulnerable to "micro-buckling", he later stated.

"Buckling in the simplest explanation: you take a long spaghetti and you push on it with two fingers. What's going to happen? It's going to buckle essentially, it's going to snap," said Mr Ballarini.

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"That's what buckling is. It's when you compress something and it deforms by a significant amount because it's an instability.'  

Researchers were not able to investigate whether micro-buckling was behind the failure of the Titan submersible - however they looked at vessels of similar shapes and materials. 

Other theories for why the submarine imploded also exist.

These include the hull's carbon fiber composite material. Small imperfections that could go undetected make vessels, like the Titan, at risk of collapsing under intense pressure. 

It is thought researchers will likely never determine the exact location or reason that caused the tragic event. 

The doomed group of five were were travelling 12,500 feet below sea level when the deep sea submersible lost communication.

Debris was found on the sea floor days later and rescuers said that the sub had suffered a catastrophic implosion.

The others on board were UK billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul Henry Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.

Following the incident, it emerged that safety concerns were raised multiple times before, with several people including Ross Kemp and YouTuber Mr Beast having dropped out of doing similar trips.

As the Titanic wreckage is in international waters and the OceanGate expeditions were not operating out of a port, the trips were not subject to safety regulations.

Read more: Simulation shows how passengers in Titan submersible imploded as vessel collapsed

Graphic explains how Titan submersible imploded