eli5: when a submarine exceeds its crush depth, and it’s crew is killed, what actually happens to them? Do they die instantly or are they squished flat? What happens ?
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The submarine would be breeched by at least one part of the hull caving in/ bursting, which would allow water inside. A lot of water. The sub would be sinking rapidly at that point. I dont think it would get crushed in the way you think it would. It would get a breech, and take on water, while sinking deeper. It would take on water like worse than an opened fire hydrant or a firehose sprays water out.
Imo, the crew would probably drown rather than get crushed. Once the hull is breeched, the pressurized cabin loses pressure, and all thats left is to drown and sink.
Sadly, I think if we dont find these people alive, we will find the titanic submersible with a breech to the hull, with its occupants suspended in sea water..
Its just AWFUL.
They are squished flat and die instantly.
As the submarine gets closer to the crush depth fittings pop out and the hull creeks and groans. At some point a vital piece, some plate or beam, breaks and the entire submarine is pretty mich instantly crushed flat.
There are a few parts rhat are usually stronger and remain their shape, thag being the bridge and the rear. But for surviving that doesnt matter, even if you‘re not smashed together by the metal the aur pressure will kill you.
If the sub folds like u/thisusedyet is talking about, then you die instantly.
Worse case scenario is that a window cracks or a seal fails first. Then you have a high pressure stream of water that slowly and inevitably fills the space. You’re all sharing a smaller and smaller air pocket, getting to higher and higher pressures. You won’t crush fast enough to save you from drowning.
Of course, as it floods, other systems are affected.
1. If the scrubbers go out, you might suffocate on your own CO2 first.
2. If the O2 supply goes out, you’ll just pass out as the oxygen is consumed. That might take a while though because as the pressure is rising, so is the partial pressure of oxygen, so you don’t need as high a percentage.
3. IF you last long enough (and scrubbers and O2 are still active), the pocket is compressed enough that nitrogen narcosis sets in, which would be a blessing. Later, oxygen toxicity hits you. You have a terminal seizure and drown, but you’re probably not conscious for it. That depends on if tho O2 system is concentration-based or partial pressure based. I think most are PP based, so this is unlikely.
4. If it’s slow enough, hypothermia from the cold water is a serious possibility. Average life expectancy when unprotected in 4°C water is about 50 minutes.
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in marine environments possible the greatest danger to humans is pressure differentials. there are astonishingly terrifying examples of divers being sucked up a 1/2” air supply tube. in the case of a sub at that depth they face an external pressure of 3700 atmospheres. any break or leak would have instant and catastrophic results
they get cmpressed into conveniently storable flat-packs and then they can be reinflated later on with some compressed air.
If a tiny pinhole opens in the hull of the Titan, a 6000psi waterjet would slice through anything in it’s path, including Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush or any of his 4 “crewmembers,” moments before the sub fills 349/350 of water, with the remainder being a little bubble of 350ATM compressed air.
It depends on how the sub fails. If it remains completely water tight until the structure fails then the walls of the sub collapse until the air pressure inside the sub equals the water pressure outside the sub. The occupants would either be crushed by the collapsing hull or the sudden spike in air pressure.
The sub likely would not remain water tight after the collapse and eventually the whole thing would flood.
If a seal, window or hatch fails before the structure does and water starts rushing in, then the air pressure would start to rise quickly. The occupants would either succumb to the immense pressure or drown.
They likely hear a sound for a split second. Then end of existence.
You lose consciousness with a punch. Imagine being punched by several tons of steel and water traveling at some hundreds mph.
A gardening hose shoots water with 1-2 bar of pressure, that’s equal to 20m depth. Just scale it to the sub depth. The force is unimaginable, but you can picture it as being more than being hit by a full speed train.
Excuse the ignorance, but, assuming the overarching content of the thread is true and we’re splitting hairs on pressure etc. why is the wreckage of the titanic not more disintegrated? Is this because the whole implosion is simply to do with pressure differential? Ie the ship floated to the bottom and therefore didn’t experience the same effect?
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