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Analysis of Steel from the Titanic

Dateline: 02/28/00

By Alan Bruzel

History

The wreck of the Titanic lies on the ocean floor, 620 kilometers (385 miles) south of Newfoundland under about 3,700 meters (12,000 feet) of water. More than 1,500 people perished during that tragedy which took place in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912 when the Titanic, steaming at about 22 knots, sideswiped an iceberg. Robert Ballard and his undersea investigators located the wreckage on September 1, 1985. On August 15, 1996, steel hull samples were recovered for metallurgical analysis.

Results of the Analysis

Phosphorous levels in Titanic steel were determined to be about four times higher than the level of that element in modern steels, and sulfur levels about twice as high, indicating that the Titanic's steel – originally forged in Glasgow – was probably produced in an acid-lined open-hearth furnace. Manganese:sulfur ratios in Titanic steel were 6.8:1. Compare this with ratios of up to 200:1 found in today's steel. Although in hindsight not the most fitting for ocean crossings, the Titanic's steel was the best available; her sister ship, the Olympic, saw more than 20 years of service.

Implications

Phosphorous in steel initiates fractures. Excess sulfur in steel will combine with iron to form iron sulfide, another fracture propagator. Too little manganese makes steel less ductile and more susceptible to fracture than a manganese-rich steel. Hull plate samples from the Titanic yielded ductile-brittle transition temperatures of 32^oC (90^oF) for longitudinal specimens and 56^oC (133^oF) for transverse specimens. Modern steel shows a ductile-brittle transition temperature of minus 27^oC (minus 16^oF). Combine all of the above with a North Atlantic water temperature of near freezing, and one can postulate a scenario where the estimated entry of more than 40,000 tons of water through breaches comprising an area of little more than 1.1 square meters (12 square feet) along the starboard hull  – not from an erroneously ascribed 100 meter (300 foot) gash – caused the demise of the Titanic's steel hull from brittle fracture due to low temperature.

What the Web Has to Say about:
Analysis of Steel from the Titanic

A Failure Analysis of the Metallurgy of the Titanic
Report from University of Texas engineering undergraduates, Amy Powell, Kevin Schaber, and Michael Taylor.

A Titanic Tragedy: Myths Dispelled by New Information
Part IV of the series, "The Sinking of the Titanic." From About.com's Powerboating Guide.

Causes and Effects of the Rapid Sinking of the Titanic
Failures in the hull steel and rivets. From Vicki Bassett, University of Wisconsin.

Deconstructing the Titanic
Virtual re-enactment includes videos, interviews, analyses. From Omni magazine.

Engineering Technology Helps Solve Titanic Mystery
Forensic expeditions examine wreckage. From the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

How Did the Titanic Sink?
Events resulting from a catastrophic hull failure. From Dan Deitz, Mechanical Engineering magazine.

Investigating the Titanic Disaster: Development of a Finite Element Model
Study from the naval architecture and marine engineering firm, Gibbs & Cox, Inc.

Metallurgy of the RMS Titanic
Summarization by Tim Foecke, National Institute of Standards & Technology.

Steel and Ice
Analysis of Titanic's demise. From "Curious Facts for Titanic Historians," by Parks Stephenson.

Testing Shows Titanic Steel Was Brittle
Press release regarding University of Missouri at Rolla analytical findings. From ScienceDaily magazine.

The Royal Mail Ship Titanic: Did a Metallurgical Failure Cause a Night to Remember?
Archaeotechnology article in JOM by Katherine Felkins, H.P. Leighly, Jr., and A. Jankovic.

Titanic's Final Hours
Annotated timeline follows progress of disaster. From Discovery.com.

Titanic Researcher Makes a Big Splash
Press release from University of Missouri at Rolla describing analytical work of H.P. Leighly, Jr.

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