What is the name of the round sealed window on an airplane? Why are airplane windows round? It is possible that the body of a deceased person or organs that someone needs for a transplant may be flying on the same plane with you.

Porthole (from Latin illuminator - illuminator)

glazed window in the hull or superstructure of a ship for lighting and ventilation 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

Round windows to provide access to light, built into the sides of airplanes and ships, are a common sight. It is difficult to imagine that they did not always have such outlines. So why are the portholes round? There are a number of explanations for this.

Portholes on ships

The windows built into the sides of ship hulls were not always round in shape. In historical photographs you can see ships with square and rectangular windows that look like regular vents.

The rounder shape that is more familiar to us is due to higher strength parameters. Roundness makes it possible to evenly distribute the load created by differences in pressure and temperature. This “negates” the risk of cracks and, as a consequence, rupture of the ship’s hull. For the same reason, all load-bearing parts of ship hulls, as well as doors and hatches, are rounded.

The second reason for the widespread use of round windows is ease of manufacture.

Previously, window frames were made from cast brass blanks, followed by processing on lathes. The round pieces were much easier to make. In addition, during installation it was easier to seal them, protecting them from leaks.

Modern round portholes on ships are completely waterproof. As additional protection in severe weather or rough seas water element portholes are equipped with storm covers made of metal or removable shields.

Windows on airplanes

Even before the middle of the last century, square windows were installed on passenger planes. Airplanes such as the Caravel even had triangular windows.

The turning point was the tragedy that occurred in 1953. In those years, the jet aircraft industry was actively developing. One of the first to enter the world market was a supersonic airliner called “Comet”. By technical specifications in those days he had no equal. But contemporaries remembered the supersonic airliner for the reason that it crashed at the moment of takeoff. 56 passengers died. Over the next year, two more similar disasters occurred. "De Havilland Comed" was removed from flights, discontinued and the causes of the accidents began to be investigated.

As it turned out later, the key cause of the tragedies was the depressurization of the aircraft body due to microcracks that appeared in the corners of the windows. To understand, as the plane climbed to altitude, there was a rapid drop in external pressure, while the pressure inside the plane remained more stable. The pressure difference provoked the expansion of the housing. As a result, tension was created in the body material, and it began to gradually change its shape. The square window acted as a kind of obstacle to the distribution of stress, forcing it to change its direction and thereby causing an increase in pressure. Peak stress points formed at the corners of the square windows, causing cracks to form in these areas.

After this, the windows on the plane are made exclusively round or oval. They distribute pressure along the entire curve, minimizing the risk of deformation.

In fact, the windows of modern passenger aircraft, such as the wide-body twin-engine Boeing Dreamliner, are more likely not round in shape, but rectangular with beveled and rounded corners. This engineering solution allows you to “bypass” places where fatigue stresses are concentrated.

It is noteworthy that according to the instructions, the window curtains must remain open during takeoff or landing of the aircraft. This precaution allows you to solve two problems at once: it allows passengers to more easily and quickly adapt to the natural light outside, and crew members at any time, with a quick glance, visually assess the condition of the aircraft and, if necessary, take appropriate measures in a timely manner.

In addition, the polymer curtains must be retracted so that in the event of an emergency at the time of mechanical damage, they do not injure nearby passengers.

Today, the need to use curtains on windows has practically disappeared, since round windows on airplanes are made automatically darkening. The degree of darkening of the windows is determined by the crew. If it is necessary to dim by 99%, you can program in just a couple of minutes both all windows at the same time and selectively individual windows in the cabin.

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Why are airplane windows round? Why are the tips of the wings curved upward? And why do passengers enter from the left side of the board?

Everything related to aviation is thought out to the smallest detail. Perhaps this is why the plane is the safest form of transport. And yet why is it designed this way?

website answers the 8 most popular “whys” about airplanes.

1. Why are airplane windows round?

In the early 1950s, de Havilland produced an aircraft called the Comet. An airplane that was considered a true miracle of aviation. However, a year later it fell to pieces in the air. A few months later, the same thing happened to two more aircraft.

Engineers ran diagnostics on every cog in the plane and found the problem. The cause of the disaster turned out to be the plane's windows - they were square. The fact is that the corners of the windows bear a large load, which increases even more during the flight. Engineers solved the problem by rounding the corners of the windows. Thanks to this, flying has now become much safer.

2. Why are the tips of the wings curved upward?

During flight, the pressure from below the aircraft is higher than the pressure from above. Therefore, the air strives for equilibrium and tries to move from an elevated area to a lower one. The easiest way to do this is on the wings of an airplane. It was only when the air reached the tips of the wings that it broke off and created strong turbulence.

The nose of a military fighter is sharp. The sharper the shape, the more streamlining and the faster the plane. But due to the long nose, the runway is difficult to see, so ordinary passenger planes have a rounded nose.

But British engineers solved this problem and in 1969 made one of the fastest passenger aircraft, the nose of which can change its inclination. During takeoff and landing, the nose is lowered, and during flight it is brought to a vertical position.

This strange design is made for one reason only: this way, pilots can better see the runway during takeoff and landing.

4. Why are planes white?

Most planes are white, and for good reason. There are several reasons:

Heat reflection. If an airplane is painted white, it accumulates less heat. This is better for passengers and more economical for the airline.
White paint is cheaper. Painting an airplane white is several times cheaper than painting it in any other color.
Bird strike prevention. Birds see reflections from white surfaces better and do not collide with aircraft.
It's easier to see cracks and dents on white. White parts are easier to recognize in a crash and damage to the hull is easier to spot.

5. Why is the entrance on the left?

Not all, but many aircraft models have the main passenger entrance on the left. There are 3 versions of why this is the case.

Version 1. Luggage is loaded on the right side (luggage hatches are on the right), so it is also unsafe to let passengers on the right.
Version 2. There is an assumption that this migrated to airplanes from ships: passengers entered along a ladder onto the left side of the ship.
Version 3. Previously, the commander always sat on the left. The location of the passenger door, also on the left, gave him best review and made it possible to more accurately adjust the aircraft to the passenger area.

6. Why are some planes so strangely shaped?

You've probably heard about the plane, which is also called invisible. It has such an unusual shape for one simple reason: it flies as one solid object. Thanks to this, it is faster and can transport large quantity luggage and consumes less fuel.

The design of airplanes is inspired by birds. Birds of prey adopt this posture to increase their flight range and be less noticeable.

However, the production of an aircraft of this shape is very expensive, so it is not used in civil aviation.

7. Why do planes seem spacious?

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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, 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 instantly depressurized.

What is a window actually for?

An opening window in an airplane cabin is emergency exit. The fact is that the door separating the cockpit from the main passenger plane- armored and protected by a combination lock. When emergency landing it is possible that 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 the event of a hijacking, intelligence 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...

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. The 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: as 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.

An 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 solution, and the passengers are now safe.