THE first examination of the metal samples from the SS Titanic's hull and bulkhead has found that the metal used was vastly inferior to modern steel.
Impact tests on about 300lb of steel retrieved from the wreckage found that it was about 10 times more brittle than modern steel at freezing temperature. Tests of the steel's chemical composition also showed a high content of sulphur, oxygen and phosphorous, which cause steel to be brittle. There was also a low level of manganese, a symptom of brittle steel.
The Titanic sank early on April 15, 1912. More than 1,500 of her 2,206 passengers and crew died after she struck an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean, about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Phil Leighly, Professor Emeritus of Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, has conducted the most comprehensive examination of the liner's metal to date.
His findings will be published next month in the Journal of Metals. The only other test was conducted by the Canadian government and involved a Frisbee-sized piece of steel, in which researchers concluded that the ship's hull fractured when it met the iceberg. However, inferior steel was not the only reason the Titanic sank. Other factors, such as flaws in the ship's design, the crew's negligence and the lack of lifeboats, also contributed to the disaster, Prof Leighly said.
He added: "The naval architects can point their fingers and say it was bad steel that caused the Titanic to sink. It's easy to point a finger, but it's uncomfortable to point at yourself and say: 'Bad design.' "
