What happens during a catastrophic implosion? Titan submersible occupants likely died instantly
Associated PressThe Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion that likely killed its pilot and four passengers instantly amid the intense water pressure in the deep North Atlantic, experts said. “I don’t think people can appreciate the amazing energy involved in the destructive process of an implosion,” Bob Ballard, a member of the team that found the Titanic wreck in 1985, told ABC News. A sphere is a “perfect shape” because water pressure is exerted equally on all areas, said Chris Roman, a professor at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. Arun Bansil, a Northeastern University physics professor, likened that “humongous” pressure to the force of “a whale biting on somebody.” Though the Titan had a composite hull with inbuilt sensors that could withstand high pressures near the sea floor, any defect could result in a “near instantaneous implosion” in less than 40 milliseconds, said associate professor Eric Fusil, director of the Shipbuilding Hub at the University of Adelaide in Australia.