Brittle, corroded iron rivets failed under impact with the iceberg, causing the Titanic's hull to rupture and sink.

The sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912, was significantly influenced by the metallurgy of the 3 million rivets used in its construction. Forensic materials scientists Tim Foecke and Jennifer Hooper McCarty analyzed 48 rivets recovered from the wreck site and discovered that the iron used for the hull's bow and stern contained high concentrations of slag—a fibrous byproduct of smelting. This high slag content made the iron particularly brittle, especially in the -2°C waters of the North Atlantic.When iron reacts with saltwater and oxygen, it undergoes an electrochemical process called oxidation, creating iron oxide (rust) that expands and generates internal pressure capable of cracking the metal. The Titanic's rivets began corroding from the moment the ship was launched in 1911, weakening the structural integrity of the fasteners before the voyage even began.The impact with the iceberg exerted approximately 90,000 kilopascals of pressure on the hull. Because the rivets were brittle and corroded, they could not withstand the shear stress. Instead of bending, the rivet heads snapped cleanly, allowing the steel hull plates to separate like a zipper. This created six narrow openings that flooded the first five watertight compartments, transforming what could have been a survivable collision into a catastrophic maritime disaster.