What is the correct name for a window on an airplane? Why are portholes round? Why are some planes such strange shapes?

The reason is ridiculously simple: square windows. It was one of those annoying little things that are easy to miss when designing; but as soon as something happens, they become obvious even to a child.

The square window consists of four 90-degree notches, which means it has four weak points. If there was pressure on your house, the crack would certainly go through the corner of some window.

Have you noticed that the windows on all planes are round? This is not done for beauty - the round shape does not allow the plane to be torn into pieces. The pressure is distributed along the entire curve instead of cracking at the corners (as it turned out) and tearing the plane to shreds.

Believe me, it wasn't easy to find out. Experts had no idea why the plane's structure was falling apart until they tested the structure by repeatedly simulating cabin pressure. Of course, the fuselage eventually burst, and the rupture began precisely from these notorious corners. Since then, all aircraft have only round windows.

16.08.2018 , 09:39 58719

One day I was traveling with a friend; it was his first time on an airplane. During boarding we were asked. The friend laughed nervously, adding: “Okay, at least just curtains. The pilots also open their windows and probably smoke. As soon as they’re not afraid to fall out?” And then I remembered, when boarding the plane, the pilots actually had their side windows open. Why do pilots need windows that open?

In fact, the side opening windows are not needed for smoking or for spectacular selfies, and not even for ventilation during the flight. During a flight at an altitude of 9-12 km, the air temperature outside drops to −50 degrees. Secondly, there is little oxygen there; if you open the window, a person would simply pass out from the lack of it. Thirdly, the high pressure and strong air pressure would not allow one to lean out of the window and take a selfie during the flight; moreover, the cabin was immediately depressurized.

What is a window actually for?

An opening window in an airplane cabin is an emergency exit. The fact is that the door separating the cockpit from the main passenger aircraft is armored and protected by a combination lock. In the event of an emergency landing, it may become jammed. Although in this case, it may happen that there is no time left to open the door; it is easier to open the window and get out through it. Also, in the event of a plane being hijacked by terrorists, the pilots, as a last resort, will be able to leave the plane, bypassing the passenger cabin. In case of capture, security officers can enter through the window and make their way through the cockpit into the passenger cabin to neutralize the invaders.

Fortunately, in practice, windows are rarely used for their intended purpose. Sometimes this opening window is used to simply wash the front windows...

Porthole (from Latin illuminator - illuminator)

a glazed window in the hull or superstructure of a ship for lighting and ventilation of interior spaces. Ship windows are round (side and deckhouse) and rectangular (wheelhouse), solid and opening, often with waterproof covers. The choice of type I. is determined by the location of its installation and the distance to the waterline (See Waterline). I. are also called round windows of an underwater research vehicle, airplane, helicopter, spaceship, etc.


Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

Synonyms:

See what “Illuminator” is in other dictionaries:

    - (Dead light, bull's eye) round window on the ship. I. consists of a cast frame that covers a round cutout in the outer skin and is attached to it with bolts or rivets. An internal frame is hinged to this frame, into which is inserted... ... Nautical Dictionary

    - (by this, see next word). 1) coloring paintings, engravings, lithographic prints. 2) small windows, side or deck, used to illuminate cabins and decks. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910.… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

    1. PORTHOLE, a; m. [lat. illuminator] A hermetically sealed round window (on a ship, on an airplane, etc.). Side windows. Batten down the portholes. Porthole glass. Ship and. ◁ Porthole, oh, oh. And oh hole... encyclopedic Dictionary

    Transilluminator, draftsman, illuminator, window Dictionary of Russian synonyms. porthole noun, number of synonyms: 4 porthole (5) ... Synonym dictionary

    porthole- a, m. illuminateur lat. illuminator. Illumination specialist; pyrotechnician BAS 1. Since illuminations have now become spectacles, they call someone who practices the art of distributing light or illumination in such a way... an Illuminator. Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

    - (from Latin illuminator illuminator) a glazed window on a ship, deep-sea or aircraft, round or rectangular, fixed or opening, with or without waterproof covers... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    - [il], ​​porthole, husband. (from Latin illuminator, illuminator). 1. A tightly closing round window on the side of a ship (marine). 2. The person in charge of the illumination device (special). Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

    PORTHOLE, huh, husband. A hermetically sealed window (on a ship, deep-sea vehicle or aircraft). Ship and. | adj. porthole, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

    - (lat. illuminator illuminator) a round or rectangular window on the side of the ship’s hull, the wall of its superstructure or in the upper deck for light access ... Wikipedia

    - (lat. illuminator, from illummo I illuminate) glass. window on a ship (see figure), underwater research. apparatus, airplane, helicopter, spacecraft. ship, etc. Ship's porthole... Big Encyclopedic Polytechnic Dictionary

    PORTHOLE- Viewing the portholes on a ship is a pleasant journey. Open you will be entrusted with freedom of action in making important decisions. You will be able to get through the difficult competition and take a prestigious vacancy. You look through the closed porthole... ... Big family dream book

Books

  • Earth in the porthole (collection), Yuri Ivanovich. Since ancient times, intelligent beings have loved to have fun by hunting, but sooner or later any civilized society recognizes hunters as poachers and mercilessly fights the destruction of nature. But… eBook

We love flying airplanes! But it turns out that in flight everything is not so simple 😉 We will tell you some interesting facts that you have most likely never heard of before 😉 Let's go!

1. There is often an ax on board an aircraft, which is part of the safety equipment and is stored in the cockpit behind the captain's seat.

2. Flight attendants demand to raise the window shades not so that you can admire the take-off scene, but in order, in extreme cases, to see a fire.

3. An airplane wing is actually very flexible and can bend at enormous angles. So if the wing sways during flight, everything is fine 😉

4. On board an aircraft, the captain has unlimited power and can detain, fine, and much, much more.

5. You will never be able to land a plane on your own, even following the prompts of air traffic controllers. Most likely, you won’t even understand how to contact them... And the autopilot, by the way, does not work completely autonomously during landing.

6. It is possible that the body of a deceased person or organs that someone needs for transplantation may be flying on the same plane with you.

7. The porthole window is triple glazed to protect against pressure changes, regulate air flow and protect against internal damage, respectively.

8. A flight attendant or steward can always open the toilet door with ease, because... There is a secret handle hidden under the name of the room.

9. The pilot and co-pilot cannot eat the same food and share it with each other. This was done to avoid the possibility of poisoning both crew captains.

10. The table in front of you is not nearly as clean as it seems. We strongly advise against placing food or personal items on it!

Did you like the article? Scroll on and see a photo selection of those with whom you would definitely not want to be on the same plane! 😉

If you cannot afford to fly business or first class, there is nothing left to do but choose economy class... where, to be honest, it is not always convenient and pleasant. And all because there are many other unusual people and more flying with you.

WuzzUp brings to your attention the 20 most annoying passengers you can meet on an airplane.

Many people wonder: why are the windows on an airplane rounded, and not square like regular windows or, for example, not triangular?

The answer is elementary simple. The very shape of the aircraft without corners, the rounded shape of the windows, as well as hatches and doors, is necessary for safety. Roundness allows you to evenly distribute the load from the difference in temperature and pressure, which prevents the occurrence of cracks, and subsequently the depressurization of the cabin and the tearing of the aircraft into pieces.

To explain it in more scientific terms, it looks like this: when a plane gains altitude, the external pressure drops faster than the internal pressure - this creates a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the plane, causing the body to expand.

When the material of the housing changes its shape, tension is created in it. The material expands due to the fact that the stress constantly increases, eventually the stress reaches the limit that the material can collapse.

On airplanes, the shape of the windows greatly affects the voltage level. Tension easily passes through the material without damage, if there are no obstacles such as a window in its path, in a given place it needs to change direction, and this causes an increase in pressure. This is called stress concentration.

By comparing the effect of round and square windows on stress concentration, you can see that square windows create a greater barrier to stress passage. This means that tension is created at the corners of square windows.

The extreme increase in stress concentration causes the formation of housing cracks in these places. Such cracks led to tragic disasters until studies of destroyed aircraft made it possible to study the nature of the occurrence of stress in materials. That is, based on this, it becomes obvious why the windows on airplanes today are round, as well as all the load-bearing parts of the body, hatches, and doors are rounded. It’s good that the designers came to such a decision, and the passengers are now safe.

 

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