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Previous passengers recall ill-fated Titan: 'I 100% knew this was going to happen' (apnews.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Talk to someone who went on previous trips on the Titan submersible and they’re likely to mention a technology glitch. The propulsion system failed or the communications with people on the surface cut out. They are also likely to mention Stockton Rush. He's the OceanGate Expeditions CEO who died this week on the sub. Rush has been described as both a meticulous planner and an overconfident pioneer. In the wake of the Titan’s fatal implosion Sunday near the Titanic shipwreck, some passengers from previous expeditions described concerning experiences that foreshadowed the tragedy. Still, others felt they were in “good hands” deep below the ocean’s surface.

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[–] [email protected] 68 points 1 year ago (15 children)

Over cigars one night, Rush told Weissmann that he got the carbon fiber for the Titan’s hull at a big discount because it was past its shelf-life for use in airplanes, Weissmann said. But Rush reassured him it was safe.

Death by hubris

[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (10 children)

Huh, I didn't even know carbon fiber had a shelf life, I figured it'd be pretty stable over time.

Here's the reason why, in case anyone's curious (I know I was):

Fabrics and prepregs also degrade gradually over time. In composite laminates it is not the fiberglass, carbon fiber or Kevlar fibers themselves that initially degrade. It is the sizing or fiber primer however that degrades over time. Sizings are placed upon the fibers to make them more compatible with a given resin system during cure. As time goes on fiber sizings diminish, weakening the future link between the fabric and the resin, thus yielding a possibly weaker composite laminate.

The exact storage life of most sized fabrics is not always listed on a technical data sheet. Often one may need to research further into a manufacturer’s technical manuals for an expected shelf life of a fabric sizing. Fiber sizing life can range from a year to beyond five when stored under favorable conditions. For prepreg materials a general shelf life is first a year. After a year or after initial expiration some fabrics and prepregs may be re-tested for performance against its original stated performance specifications and bonding characteristics. In the case of a DIY project possibly using expired fabrics it is important to test a laminated section of the expired fabric to ensure its quality is up to par for its intended use.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (9 children)

wait wait wait. Does that mean carbon fiber bike frames are likely to bust in a crash after a few years??!!!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

They are likely to bust in a crash, period. But without any crashes, yes, they degrade over years of sunlight and exposure to the elements, and that is something that you should always calculate in your risk assessment of the bike that you ride.

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