Banana Peel Theory- Fact or Myth?

[drjamess]

There is a lot of question over if the so called "Banana Peel Theory" is possible. In my opinion, I think it is unlikely as steel cannot behave like shoe leather, but I want to know what you all think.


-James

 

[Samuel Halpern]

What banana peel theory? Haven't heard that one.

 

[Robert T. Paige]

What is the connection between banana peel, shoe leather and steel?
A simple explanation of the banana peel theory would be interesting ?
I did some searching and found one explanation is that the keel holds the bow and stern together during the break up ?
I think (this is just another one of my big "IMHO' s) that the parts of the bow and stern did not appear to have been held together during the break up ?

 

[Mike Bull2019]

That'll be James Cameron and his bananas, right? I think it's been shown that the middle break in the keel was heavily compressed, breaking the double bottom in an upwards direction, at first.

I think I'm right in saying that the other edges of the double bottom pieces show a downwards pull/stretching as things separated, but I don't for one second buy the notion of the bow 'hanging on', much less 'pulling the stern upright'.

 

[Bob Read]

This was James Cameron’s simplistic illustration of why there must have been a top down break-up. He seemed to be saying that Titanic’s break-up was intuitive and could be easily illustrated by something as simple as a banana. I love science.

 

[Seumas]

Was that not from a documentary about ten years ago where Cameron scoffed at the experts analysis of the break up and said "that's not what I think happened" ?

I don't mind Cameron but that was a dumb thing to say to experts in their field.

 

[Bob Read]

The problem with these “specials” is that they are completely dependent on Cameron’s star power and nobody is going to say “James, you don’t know what you‘re talking about.”

 

[Seumas]

On Cameron ...

I think he tends to get a bit over enthusiastic* at times and also is a bit in denial about the fact he's frankly not the technical expert on the sinking that he thinks he is. That's not to say I'm calling him a bad guy, far from it, I greatly respect all that he's done for the ship, the story of those who sailed aboard her and probing further into the wreck site.

* Such as when he suggested his laughable "outside the box" ideas for saving everybody - i) lowering people onto the iceberg (he didn't explain how they'd keep the berg stationary) with the cargo winches or ii) sailing with engines reversed towards the Californian.

 

[Samuel Halpern]

This was James Cameron’s simplistic illustration of why there must have been a top down break-up. He seemed to be saying that Titanic’s break-up was intuitive and could be easily illustrated by something as simple as a banana. I love science.

The more I think about it, his analogy just may be right. Sometimes, the so-called "experts" tend to overthink a problem. Some of the greatest breakthroughs in scientific advancement have resulted from intuitive reasoning.

 

[Bob Read]

Sam: Surely you’re not saying that an incredibly complex iron and steel structure behaves like an 8 inch organic structure?

 

[Mike Bull2019]

I prefer trying it with a square cardboard tube; push up with your thumbs at the center bottom (Buoyancy causing double bottom to first fail upwards) while pulling down on the ends (flooded bow and dead weight of the stern, both pulling down) causing the sides to bend out (shell plating separating) until it tears open at the top (general split at the top/'tower' structures)

I still don't think there was any 'hanging on' between the halves once this all happened, though.

 

[Steven Christian]

The more I think about it, his analogy just may be right. Sometimes, the so-called "experts" tend to overthink a problem. Some of the greatest breakthroughs in scientific advancement have resulted from intuitive reasoning.

Agree. From Einstein's thought experiments to Tesla's electrical breakthroughs which is said he often just worked them out in his head like 3 phase AC. Not sure about the bannana peal theory. I've read that that Cameron is a bastard to work with. Don't know if thats true or not but I give him credit for making good movies. Liked pretty much all of them except for one.

 

[Bob Read]

Surely we’re not putting Cameron in the category of scientific minds as Einstein or Tesla.

 

[Steven Christian]

Not from a scientific standpoint that benefits humanity. No way. But from a commercial category I would say his intution proved him right making Titanic when a lot of the experts told him it would fail.

 

[Mike Bull2019]

Never mind 'the movie' or his sometimes over-enthusiastic theories, I think what Cameron has done for our knowledge of the wreck of Titanic is incredible. No one else had tried to systematically explore great tracts of the interior, and I doubt anyone else will again, especially as the wreck continues to deteriorate. Likewise, his Bismarck trip yielded some incredible footage and understanding, too. In fact I wish he'd stop messing about with his blue alien films, and do more of this kind of stuff!

As a digression, where else would you like to have seen him explore? I wish that the WTD hadn't have stopped them from getting into the swimming bath; it may not have been the most exciting space decoratively, but I think it would be a fair bet how it would look now; the pool, perhaps only very lightly filled with crud, tiles still white and shining, changing cubicles still present, maybe even some floor tiles showing. I guess we'll never know...