Open Titanium Case w/ Steel Pins: Advice Needed

[Fig Neutron]

Hello everyone, I am working with a writer on a book that is bordering on science fiction but set in modern day Earth.

Here is the issue. There is a titanium case with high-carbon steel pins in the hinges. (Think of a sophisticated military weapons style of container.) The characters in the story need a way to open the case. The contents are unknown, so it is best to use a method that will cause the least amount of damage to the contents. (We floated the idea of heating the pins until they become mailable, but there were some flaws we were struggling to overcome.) It is not possible to bypass the biometric locking system, and we are stuck trying to come up with a realistically possible way that the case could be forcibly opened.

As for the materials available, there is a fair amount of flexibility. The setting is essentially the armory of a military base, but materials are not limited to what is in the room.

As I said, science fiction is not the main focus, so I don’t think there are any notable circumstances that complicate the situation.

Please let me if I need to provide any more information. Any ideas or advice is greatly appreciate. Thank you for your time.

 

[anorlunda]

An angle grinder should do the trick.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Diamond saw?

 

[berkeman]

(We floated the idea of heating the pins until they become mailable, but there were some flaws we were struggling to overcome.)

Wrong direction in temperature. I'm not going to post any links, but it sounds like freezing the pins and breaking them would do what you want.

 

[DaveE]

Put it in a mill and carefully cut almost through a wall, then break it free like opening a soda can. You could use thermal shock on the last bit, but that's probably not necessary. Be careful of heating, that can damage stuff inside. Really, this isn't difficult technology, any machinist can do it.

 

[Fig Neutron]

I appreciate all of your thoughts. I didn’t make it very clear in my original post, but I should add that we are going for an improvised way in. Sorry that this wasn’t clear.

 

[anorlunda]

Here's a tutorial on working with titanium.

 

[berkeman]

As for the materials available, there is a fair amount of flexibility.

I didn’t make it very clear in my original post, but I should add that we are going for an improvised way in.

"Well, which is it young fella?" -- Quiz Question -- What movie is that from?

Did you do any searching for the links that I didn't want to post about freezing locks/bolts? There's a pretty simple MacGyver improvisation to use that technique (unfortunately).

 

[some bloke]

Assuming the contents of the case are potentially temperature sensitive, you will probably want a mechanical solution to getting in.

Something like the jaws of life would be an option. As others have said, a cutting device is probably what you'll be looking for. If the case is thin enough, the mechanical impact of a fire axe might be sufficient, particularly the spike-side. An alternative would be to find a way to pull the two halves apart with a winch, if it could be written to have a handle on both halves. You could even chain it between two tanks and drive them apart to rip it up. This sort of improv could also be tied to dramatic tension - such a large effort in opening the case (a runaway tank driving off with half the case trailing behind, for example) can help to trigger more of the story, perhaps giving them no time to understand what they've found - the runaway tank has alerted their rivals or whatnot, and they are now too busy escaping to think about it.

 

[Rive]

...we are going for an improvised way in.

Angle grinder is still the most common tool likely to be found 'everywhere'.
Either just for the head of the pins or directly for the sheets.

Ps.: in case you want to put some more 'sci' into it, do a google for 'Forcible Attack Resistant Materials' and change the titanium to something else