Carbon Composites: What The Titan Sub Implosion Can Teach Us

The recent tragic loss of all hands aboard the OceanGate Titan submersible has generated a great deal of criticism over the choice of carbon fibre as a structural material for the vehicle. Carbon fiber has a long history in aerospace and high-performance automotive applications, and it is a proven, durable and safe material in everything from racing cars to space satellites. It can be used for submersibles, as well, but composite materials in general behave differently from metals. Both ultimate and cyclical loading is important and like many aerospace structures, a fatigue life based on number of pressurization cycles may be essential, regardless of the design safety factors.

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