One of the questions that has been asked many times over the past year was why the champagne bottles on the Titanic did not explode. Instead there are bottles that appear almost pristine.

“Do you remember last year when the submarine “Titan” instantly disintegrated during part of our trip to see the wreck of the Titanic? For all the poor safety practices and cut corners, this was a titanium case designed to operate at such depths,” the highly regarded Such a question was asked in the Journal of Scientific Shitposting Facebook group. “So how did a simple glass bottle filled with champagne not break?”

First, let’s look at why explosions occur. Explosions are the spontaneous collapse of objects as a result of internal and external pressure differences. When the pressure becomes too great for the hull of a submarine, for example, the result is a violent explosion and the pressure inside and outside the ship equalizes.

Explosions can also occur on the surface as long as the pressure inside the object is lower than outside; for example, due to air being removed from the tank to create a vacuum.

There is no “except bottles” or “except Titanic” rule. Parts of the Titanic exploded. Non-explosive parts survived this particularly destructive event due to the release of air from the inside and the resulting equal pressure from outside to inside (conditions in which an explosion would not occur).

So how did the bottle escape this fate? People think part of the answer is the increase in pressure caused by carbon dioxide inside the champagne bottle. The pressure inside a bottle of champagne is higher than you might imagine; reaches approximately 6 bar (90 psi); 1 bar is equal to atmospheric pressure at sea level. Modern champagne is stored in bottles that can withstand pressures of up to 20 bar (290 psi), and metal fasteners are often used to hold the cork in place.

So at least the champagne bottle was not in danger of exploding at the beginning of its journey to the bottom of the ocean. Vintage champagne has previously been found at a depth of 50 meters (164 ft), unbroken and even still drinkable. In fact, once it began to sink, the risk of explosion was less because the pressure difference between the internal and external pressure dropped to a depth of about 60 meters (197 ft), where the pressure was around 6 bar (90 psi). . Then the pressure difference will begin to increase significantly. The Titanic is at a depth of approximately 3,800 meters (12,500 ft), under a pressure of approximately 381 bar (5,532 psi).

Unless glassmakers of the 19th century AD were creating bottles that could withstand such ridiculously high pressures “just for laughs”, there must be another reason why they didn’t explode. Even if “strong glass” is part of the answer, the cork will be pulled into the bottle due to the pressure difference before it reaches the depths of the Titanic.

The shattered cork at the top of the bottle is probably the clue. In order for the bottle to survive an explosion as deep as all parts of the Titanic, water had to reach there to equalize the pressure inside and outside the bottle.

“I know you’re talking about the uncorked champagne bottles found in the wreckage of the Titanic, 3.8 kilometers deeper,” YouTube channel The Dropzone said. “It would be great if the seal actually held, but I believe all the seals were already damaged and the pressure inside was equal to the pressure outside when the ship sank en route in 1912.”

This can happen quickly, as in the video demonstration, or more slowly, as the plug descends and compresses under tremendous pressure.