hnechets

But, then, if you do this, wouldn't you be joining our "techno-nerd" ranks?

RichardInSF

Would a segment of the pilot's window be called a pane in the glass?

Zarcero

Hmmm. Actually I kinda disagree with some of that. Us engineers/scientists give ourselves too much credit for the modern marvels. What we tend to do is study it AFTER the fact. What I mean is:

Civil Engineering developed AFTER the Roman arch.
Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering developed AFTER the airplane.
Petroleum Engineering developed AFTER the first well [Drake's in Pennsylvania].
Thermodynamics [as in Mechanical Engineering] after the invention of the steam engine.
Even the PC revolution was started by a group of "losers".
Etc., etc.
But then those of us who "study" these things afterwards, and I guess improve on them, take too much credit.

By the way, I don't squat about glass! Hahahahaha!

Z

Pickles

Not to veer OT too much, but as an example, although the Wright Brothers and others actually managed to provide experimental proof of concept for flying, they were relying on Bernoulli, Da Vinci, and others for realizing that flight was possible. The insight, dating from the 1700-1800's, was that if the top airfoil surface was curved and the bottom one was flat, making the path of the airflow longer on the top surface, it would allow for a pressure differential and lift.

Not to mention the tinkering that led from the 1903 model to the jets of today. That was all engineering. If it wasn't for that, we'd still be earthbound, and we wouldn't have FT.

A similar argument can be made for all the other inventions you mention.

Zarcero

I'm not sure there really is a topic to this thread anymore. Get a bunch of techno nerds together and we are liable to talk about anything

You are correct, but notice how it's always some loser that really brings it toegether in a practical sense. Losers like Thomas Edison As for those jet guys, they were laughed at as I recall, and Fulton with the boat thing also.

And how 'bout that Nikolai Tesla? Was he a basket case or what?

Z

MisterNice

Australian scientists have developed a new way to keep aircraft windows clear and crack-free, extending their life and saving money for airlines. "Most people have looked through aircraft windows and noticed that they have very fine cracks on the surface," says CSIRO scientist, Dr Hans Griesser. "These cracks, which look like scratches don't pose any threat to safety, but they do mean a major expense for airline companies, because the windows have to be removed and polished at regular intervals." CSIRO and Aeroclear Pty Ltd, an Australian company specialising in the refurbishment of aircraft windows, have worked together to find a way to slow down the rate of cracking. The researchers set out to discover why aircraft windows develop the very fine cracks (called crazing) in the first place. They found that the crazing is due to stresses in the material from which aircraft windows are manufactured, caused by changes in the water content of the plastic.

"The water content of the windows varies with altitude", explains Aeroclear's Geoff Thomas. "At sea level it is about 2 per cent. As an aircraft climbs to its cruising altitude, the water in the plastic is forced out. As it descends the window takes up water again".

This frequent change in the water content is enough to cause stress that cannot evenly dissipate, hence the window crazes, says Thomas........ http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?type=m...t=mediaRelease

MisterNice

doctall41

That window pane touched my labia... no, wait, that's for another thread in another area. Sorry!

WHBM

Well I see I had this wrong ! Despite being made by established glass manufacturers the side windows are acrylic (flight deck windows are glass).

From an incident report:

"Cabin windows

Each cabin window comprised an assembly of three acrylic ("perspex") panels mounted into individual recessed forged aluminium frames. In order to improve their physical properties, the outer transparency panels, (the primary load-bearing panels), were stretched during manufacture whilst in a heated (soft) state, and allowed to cool and harden in the stretched condition. The centre panels, which were failsafe load-bearing panels designed to provide a back-up in case of a failure of the outer panel, were manufactured from cast acrylic. The inner transparencies were thin panels designed primarily to protect the load-bearingpanels from damage.

The two load-bearing panels in each aperture were located mainly by the recessed shape of the aperture housing, and were held into the aperture by a series of retention clips arranged around the periphery. The edges of the acrylic load-bearing panels were fitted with rubber gaskets to provide an air seal. The inner transparency panels were attached to, and effectively formed a part of, the decorative window reveal panels.

Acrylic is a thermoplastic material which starts to soften at temperatures of approximately 100°C."

grouse

Actually there are a variety of materials that are approved by the FAA for use and are used, such as polycarbonate, acrylic, or glass.

Helena Handbaskets

I always figured those scratches were made by the thing Bill Murray (was it him?) saw on the airplane's wing in the Twilight Zone movie.

LapLap

good one ^ (chortle)

Jailer

This is what I love about FT: an opportunity to learn.

Given my area of expertise and Graduate degree (Institute of Criminology, Cambridge University/Darwin College UK, class of 1981) I always assumed that the scratches were the product of vandalism by marauding inner city gangs as their expression of frustration for not being able to accrue airline miles using credit cards to buy guns and drugs. I can admit when I am wrong and I stand corrected.

grouse

You can't buy guns with a credit card?

Jailer

Now the ban on assault rifles has expired and these guns can be legally purchased, perhaps gang bangers will be able to present their Platinum cards at local gun dealers. That pesky evidence trail still may be worrisome, however.

Mehdron

That would be John Lithgow, or, even better, Bill Shatner in the original Twilight Zone TV episode.