Titanic – A Materials, Design, and Safety Failure

In Titanic – A Materials, Design, and Safety Failure, you'll learn ...

• The causes contributing to the Titanic’s collision, subsequent rapid sinking, and the large loss of life
• Details about the ship’s design and construction emphasizing the structure, materials and power plant (boilers), engine, and propellers
• Composition, microstructure, and properties of the hull steel and rivets and how they contributed to the disaster
• Why the Titanic essentially split in half near the rear expansion joint
• Lessons learned from the disaster and subsequent changes made to ship design

Overview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 4 PDH

Length: 49 pages

The Royal Mail Steamer (RMS) Titanic sank on April 14th, 1912 during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City, United States. The Titanic struck a large iceberg estimated to be many times the size of the ship at a location several hundred miles off the coast of southeast Newfoundland. The ship started taking on water and in less than three hours it sank.

The Titanic disaster resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,514 passengers and crew out of 2,224 total people. The sinking of the Titanic was one of the worst and most infamous maritime disasters in history. The large size of the ship combined with advances in shipbuilding led to the mistaken belief that the ship was “unsinkable”. The magnitude of the Titanic disaster and the deaths of several prominent people captured the imagination of the world at the time.

This course first presents background information about the Titanic. We will examine details about its design and construction emphasizing the structure, materials and power plant (boilers), engine, and propellers. We will also review facts about the ship’s electrical system, bilge pumps, and wireless radiotelegraph equipment that are relevant to the disaster.

The course briefly covers events of the initial stages of the Titanic’s maiden voyage and then focuses on events on the day of the collision and the immediate aftermath. The course examines the causes contributing to the collision, subsequent rapid sinking, and the large loss of life. We examine operational errors by the ship's captain and crew on the day of the collision and sinking; the effect of the hull steel's composition, microstructure, and properties; the effect of the wrought iron and steel rivet composition, microstructure, and properties; deficiencies in ship design for bulkheads and double hulls; and inadequate safety requirements for lifeboats.

We’ll examine the reason the large ship essentially split in half near the rear expansion joint. We discuss modern steel used in shipbuilding compared to the steel used in the construction of the Titanic. Lastly, we discuss lessons learned from the disaster and changes made to ship design, the first International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in 1913, implementation of the first International Treaty in 1915, new requirements for lifeboats and training, changes to ship operations, and the formation of the International Ice Patrol (IIP).

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the recovery of the Titanic wreckage and the expeditions to the site.
• Explain relevant provisions of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics for Engineers.
• Describe the design and construction of the Titanic’s frame and hull, including the bulkheads and double-bottom hull.
• Compare riveting methods and joint types used to create watertight seals.
• Explain the function of the expansion joints in the superstructure.
• Compare wrought iron, cast iron, and mild steel used at the time with modern steels.
• Describe the design and construction of the power plant, engines, and propellers.
• Explain the operation of the electrical system, bilge pumps, and wireless radio.
• Summarize the events of the Titanic’s maiden voyage surrounding the collision and sinking.
• Analyze factors that contributed to the collision and rapid sinking, including operational errors, design deficiencies, brittle steel hull plates, and poor-quality wrought-iron rivets.
• Identify the principal reasons for the large loss of life after the collision.
• Compare theories explaining why the ship split in half at the ocean surface.
• Summarize lessons learned and changes implemented after the disaster in both the immediate and longer term.

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 20 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.