Porosity in the Carbon Fiber-Epoxy Matrix
Voids, or porosity, were observed at various locations in retrieved hull sections. The NTSB did not attribute specific voids to failure nor were there detailed discussions about voids that may have been created during tensile stretching of hull sections (Figure 5), where voids are expected when components are stretched to failure.
Figure 5. Porosity found in the 61-inch single layer that was investigated in detail by the NTSB.
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Hull Destruction
'There were few, if any, full thickness hull pieces. All of the visible hull pieces had delaminated, and multiple pieces had green surfaces, consistent with separation within or adjacent to the co-bonded adhesive layers'. Major sections of the Titan were co-located with the main aft section of the submersible, shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8. A 61-inch by 20-inch by 1-inch delaminated section was found about 350 feet - a length of more than a football field - from the aft section and used for a detailed NTSB study (Figures 9 and 10).
Figure 6. Main aft section of the Titan viewed from port side (left hand side looking forward), containing several delaminated sections, named A, B, C and D.
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Figure 8. Aft wreckage viewed from the starboard side (right hand side looking forward0.
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Figure 9. Hull Section more than 116 yards from the submarine body - as found on the ocean floor.
(Image by NTSB) Details DMCA
Figure 10. End views of hull section found more than 116 yards from the aft section of the Titan.
(Image by NTSB) Details DMCA
Explosion Debris Analysis
The ripping, mashing, and bending of carbon fiber hull sections resulted in both extensive tension / stretching, and compression for different parts of the hull during the explosion (Figure 11).
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