According to the statement made by the US Coast Guard, the Titan underwater vehicle, which has attracted great attention of the world public, experienced a “disastrous explosion”. The tragic result, according to authorities, is the death of five passengers, possibly on board the plane.

How would such an explosion occur and what effect would it have on Titan’s crew? Northeastern Global News reached out to Arun Bansil, distinguished professor of physics at Northeastern University, to provide a basic overview of the physics behind it and the drastic consequences that come with it.

Short speech edited for clarity.

What does the “explosion” of a submarine mean? What causes a submarine to explode? How is it different from an explosion?

Simply put, a bang is the opposite of a bang. During an explosion, the force acts outward, and during an internal explosion, it acts inward. When a diver is deep in the ocean, he experiences a force on his surface due to water pressure. When this force becomes greater than the hull can withstand, the ship explodes violently.

Officials monitoring the search for the submarine said the discovery of the wreck was consistent with a “disastrous explosion”. What would such an event mean for the five residents?

Internal explosions are very powerful, as are explosions. When the fuselage disintegrates under enormous external pressure, a large amount of energy is released and the five passengers die instantly. Its inhabitants would not feel the pain and would not understand what was happening to them.

If possible, could you briefly explain how submarines were able to swim at such terrifying depths in the first place, and why Titan probably couldn’t?

The key is the hull design, which protects the boat from the large external water pressure trying to crush the hull. Most of the current technology is based on steel, titanium and aluminum. The effectiveness of these materials under extreme loads has been well studied.

However, the Titan’s hull was of an experimental design. It mostly used carbon fiber, which has the advantage of being lighter than titanium or steel so the Titan could have more room for passengers. However, the properties of carbon fibers for deep-sea applications are not so well understood. It can suddenly crack and break.

Additionally, Titan had previously taken several deep-sea dives, which would have tired the hull, making it more prone to catastrophic failures. Source