Lesson from Titanic
Report: Lessons from the Titanic
Adapted from Causes and Effects of the Rapid Sinking of the Titanic by Vicki Bassett (http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/uer/bassett.html)
Date: 12 January 2012
Word count: 2802
Abstract
This article discusses the material failures and design flaws that contributed to the rapid sinking of the Titanic, which collided with a massive iceberg in 1912 while on her maiden voyage from England to the United States. There were 2200 passengers and crew aboard at the time but only 705 survived. According to the builders of the Titanic, even in the worst possible accident at sea, the ship should have stayed afloat for two to three days yet it sank in less than three hours. Current theories indicate that the ship sank quickly due to material failures (brittle fracture) and design flaws (non-watertight compartments within the hull).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction -------------------------------- 1
2. Overview of Events -------------------------------- 2
3. Causes of the Rapid Sinking -------------------------------- 4 3.1 Material Failures ------------------------------------ 4 3.1.1 Steel Hull -------------------------------------- 5
3.1.2 Rivets -------------------------------------- 7
3.2 Design Failures ------------------------------------ 8
4. Conclusion -------------------------------- 9
List of References -------------------------------- 11
1. Introduction
The Titanic was a White Star Line steamship built in the early nineteen hundreds by Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Ireland. With a weight of more than 46,000 tons, a length of nearly 900 feet and a height of more than 25 stories, she was the largest of three sister ships owned by the company (Division, 1997). At the time of her construction, the Titanic was the largest ship ever built.
The Titanic was deemed an unsinkable ship with turn-of-the-century design and technology,
Adapted from Causes and Effects of the Rapid Sinking of the Titanic by Vicki Bassett (http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/uer/bassett.html)
Date: 12 January 2012
Word count: 2802
Abstract
This article discusses the material failures and design flaws that contributed to the rapid sinking of the Titanic, which collided with a massive iceberg in 1912 while on her maiden voyage from England to the United States. There were 2200 passengers and crew aboard at the time but only 705 survived. According to the builders of the Titanic, even in the worst possible accident at sea, the ship should have stayed afloat for two to three days yet it sank in less than three hours. Current theories indicate that the ship sank quickly due to material failures (brittle fracture) and design flaws (non-watertight compartments within the hull).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction -------------------------------- 1
2. Overview of Events -------------------------------- 2
3. Causes of the Rapid Sinking -------------------------------- 4 3.1 Material Failures ------------------------------------ 4 3.1.1 Steel Hull -------------------------------------- 5
3.1.2 Rivets -------------------------------------- 7
3.2 Design Failures ------------------------------------ 8
4. Conclusion -------------------------------- 9
List of References -------------------------------- 11
1. Introduction
The Titanic was a White Star Line steamship built in the early nineteen hundreds by Harland and Wolff of Belfast, Ireland. With a weight of more than 46,000 tons, a length of nearly 900 feet and a height of more than 25 stories, she was the largest of three sister ships owned by the company (Division, 1997). At the time of her construction, the Titanic was the largest ship ever built.
The Titanic was deemed an unsinkable ship with turn-of-the-century design and technology,
References: Gannon, R. (1995). What Really Sank the Titanic. Popular Science, 246(2), 49-55. Garzke, W.H., .Brown, D.K., & Saniford, A. (1994). The Structural Failure of the Titanic. Oceans Conference Record (IEEE), 3, 138-148. Hill, S. (1996). The Mystery of the Titanic: A Case of Brittle Fracture? Materials World, 4(6), 334-335. Manning, G. (1956). The Theory and Technique of Ship Design. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc. Muckle, W. (1951). Modern Naval Architecture. London: W.P. Griffith & Sons. National Museum of American History, in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institute (n.d.).The Titanic. Retrieved from http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmah/titanic.htm Refrigerator, M. (n.d.). R.M.S. Titanic. Retrieved from http://www.scv.net/~fridge/index.htm Rogers, P., O 'Neill, A., & Sophfronia S.G. (1998). Sunken Dreams. People, 49(10), 44-51. Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (1977). Principles of Naval Architecture (4th ed.). New York: The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Press.