London (GNP): Aircraft Window Engineering is far more complex than it may appear to passengers looking through an aircraft window. Behind every small cabin window is highly specialized technology designed to withstand pressure, impacts, temperature changes and the demanding conditions of flight.
Aircraft Window Engineering gains more importance with time, as the aircraft manufacturers tend to make bigger windows for passengers. Bigger windows give travelers a bigger perspective on things and at the same time create more engineering difficulties for manufacturers.
With the larger windows, they need to conduct numerous tests to be sure that these larger windows can withstand the pressure, they are subjected to at high altitudes. The development of larger passenger windows has made Aircraft Window Engineering an increasingly demanding area of aviation design and manufacturing.
The manufacturing process of passenger windows usually begins with a large plastic sheet of acrylic or any other polymer. After that, this sheet is cut and formed into a proper shape. By the design, such windows consist of two layers that provide for extra safety in case one of them is damaged. Aircraft Window Engineering involves carefully selecting and shaping materials so that passenger windows can provide visibility while also maintaining structural strength.
Aircraft Window Engineering means that the manufacturers have to test windows under the conditions of pressure that are much higher than those they have during operation. The purpose of such tests is to see whether the given construction can sustain its shape when an airplane is flying high. Besides, manufacturers test the window under the conditions of one of the protection layers being damaged.
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Engineering challenges grow even larger when it comes to cockpit windows as opposed to typical aircraft windows as these cockpit windows are generally made of specially reinforced glass. A common process to reinforce glass includes the use of potassium ions that replace smaller sodium ions in the glass.
The engineering of aircraft windows also encompasses the design of cockpit windows that can endure severe external pressure. During operation aircraft may be faced with hail, rubbish and birds at high speed – in this light cocpit windows are of strategic importance in terms of flight safety.
One of the main issues with strikes of birds is that speed of the airplane increases the power of the strike several times. This is why manufacturers perform a thorough analysis including both flexible testing and computer simulation to find out how the windows can withstand powerful bird strike hits.
Cockpit windows nowadays may also be curved for better aerodynamics of the aircraft. Curved glass is supposed to create a more aerodynamically effective design, thus leading to better fuel economy. The only problem of having curved windows is that they are more complicated to manufacture. Even a slight distortion may prevent a pilot from seeing well.
Aircraft window engineering still relies heavily on quality control. Manufacturing companies should detect any flaws before windows are installed into the aircraft, as some defects that fail to attract attention on the ground can make serious problems in the air.
Complicated nature of the product explains the limited number of companies manufacturing aircraft windows. The aviation industry is heavily regulated, so new suppliers must meet strict technical and certification requirements before they can enter the market.
Problems in GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove, California show how dependant aircraft manufacturing is on a small number of niche manufacturers. A chemical tank accident in May hampered production, and at the moment of another planned start of production in September the plant is said to be operating at only half of its capacity.
Aircraft window engineering is thus closely related to the safety of passengers as well as all the manufacturing process chain. If a specific element is affected in its production process, this may contribute in considerable way to increasing pressure on aircraft manufacturers and airlines at the moment when demand for new airplanes is already high.
The history of studying the aircraft windows has shown that even the most insignificant parts may require sophisticated materials, complicated testing and strict quality assurance procedures. Aircraft window engineering combines various disciplines including chemistry, material science, aerodynamics, computer modeling and testing methods.
For an average passenger, an aircraft window is just a piece of glass which gives opportunity to see the sky, while for the engineer it is a complex component of the airplane which performs an important safety function in all phases of operations.
