Why didn't the Titanic explode when it sank?
This summer, the bathyscaphe Titan exploded, killing five people on board as they descended toward the wreckage of the Titanic. According to experts, the bathyscaphe simply could not cope with the load due to the enormous pressure at depth. The public wondered: why didn't the Titanic itself suffer the same fate when it sank?
After the incident with the bathyscaphe "Titan", which went to explore the wreckage of the "Titanic" and exploded at a depth of 500 meters from it, many are asking the question: why did the "Titanic" itself not explode due to strong pressure? Experts have already found out that the main cause of the Titan incident was implosion, or an explosion directed inward, occurring due to the difference in internal and external pressure. “When a submersible is located at great depths in the ocean, pressure acts on its surface. When this the pressure on the surface becomes greater than the body of the device can withstand, it collapses,” explains Arun Bansil, professor of physics at Northeastern University, USA.
Implosion can occur not only under water, but also on the surface. For example, this happens with tanks when, as a result of pumping out gas or liquid, the pressure inside them becomes rarefied. The cause of implosion in this case is atmospheric pressure, which presses on the tank from all sides and leads to an explosion. So why did the Titan explode but the Titanic didn't? According to experts, some parts of the Titanic exploded. The stern part of the liner suffered the most from the implosion, which most likely exploded at a depth of about 60 meters.
In the surviving parts of the Titanic, the air managed to escape, as a result of which the pressure outside and inside became the same. The ship sank to the bottom slowly, so the cavities gradually filled with water, and the pressure equalized. That is why the explosion did not occur, and an impressive part of the ship remained “unharmed.” Today, according to scientists, the Titanic is in danger: under the influence of sea water and bacteria, it is quickly destroyed.
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