Why plane windows are rounded
飞机舷窗为何是圆形的
While not everyone will have pondered the subject while staring out of the window during a flight, the question as to why airplanes have circular windows rather than square ones is interesting.
虽然不是每个人都会在飞行中凝视窗外的时候思索一个问题:为什么舷窗是圆形的而不是方形的。但这个问题很有趣。
Over the years, aerospace engineering has made huge leaps in airplane technology, meaning planes can carry more passengers and go faster.
多年来,航空航天工程在飞机技术上取得了巨大的飞跃,这意味着飞机可以运载更多的乘客,飞行速度更快。
The planes have also changed shape to increase safety – including the windows.
同时,为了提高安全性,飞机在外形上也做出了相应的改变。舷窗,便是变化之一。
Where there's a corner, there's a weak spot.
哪里有拐角,哪里就有弱点。
Windows, having four corners, have four potential weak spots, making them likely to crash under stress – such as air pressure.
方形舷窗有四个角,就有着四个潜在的薄弱点,使它们很可能在压力作用下破裂,比如大气压力。
By curving the window, the stress that would eventually crack the window corner is distributed, and the likelihood of it breaking is reduced.
因此,让窗缘线条弯曲,来分散窗口四角的压力,从而降低了窗户破碎的可能性。