Why airplane windows are round instead of squares New Monitor
Ever wondered why airplane windows are always round or
slightly curved instead of being a square? Well, the answer lies in science.
Interestingly, history tells us that airplane windows were
not always round instead they were rectangular. However, with progress in
aerospace engineering planes also changed shape to increase their safety.
Regrettably, it was only after the crash of two airliners
that engineers understood the problems that square windows were causing.
Engineering explains that as a plane increases in
altitude, the external atmospheric pressure lowers more than the internal cabin
pressure; creating pressure difference between the inside and outside of the
plane causing the plane to expand ever so slightly. While stress can flow
smoothly through material, but if an obstacle is placed in its path, like a
window, it changes direction which causes pressure to build in certain
locations.
Comparing the two windows, the square ones that were used
in the earliest aircrafts to the oval ones in use today, scientists found that
the square windows provided a larger barrier to the stress in contrast to
modern oval windows.
Today, all airliners feature oval windows to avoid this
stress concentration and comprehensive fatigue testing is mandatory before a
plane can be approved by the FAA.
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