Originally Posted by
rickair7777
Could have been any part of the system, although carbon fiber is especially problematic... failure mode is to shatter with no warning, only regular NDT using imaging tech could have reliably seen the signs coming although this application is so extreme who knows. Metal is more predictable and will tend to show signs in advance which you can inspect for.
A larger problem than the component failure mode, which by nature assumes a failure point, is that whether the materials involved ever get there (structural failure), the interface between the two (metal and carbon fiber is inherently incompatible; metal and carbon fiber under the conditions imposed have vastly different expansion and temperature properties, in a place where fit and seal are critical. Once that fit is compromised, even if the individual components don't fail, the structure may fail, because it relies upon the tight, waterresistant fit.
The components separated, according to reports, along the lines of their base components, as opposed to a simple carbon fiber collapse.
Also notable is that the original design specification was for a hull two inches thicker in carbon fiber, but which was available in a reduced thickness. Due to off the shelf component availability and cost, strength was compromised.