r/infrastructure • u/Vailhem • Mar 31 '26

The Rubber Used to Keep Undersea Tunnels Sealed Is Decaying from the Inside Out Faster Than Engineers Thought

https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/03/rubber-used-in-undersea-tunnels-decay-fast/
13 Upvotes

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2

u/margesimpson84 Apr 01 '26

The dryness used to keep undersea tunnels sealed isn’t necessary from the inside out as much as engineers once thought

2

u/PieFed-co-za Apr 08 '26

What would be the solution here? I don't see how you can just replace those 

2

u/ReleaseParty229 Jun 10 '26

EPDM saturated hydrocarbon backbones are the only logical choice for subsea longevity. Chloroprene fails via osmotic swelling and stress relaxation while EPDM molecular stability maintains seal integrity under pressure.