Betcha y’all didn’t know 208

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July 27, 1949, the world’s first jet-propelled airliner, the British De Havilland Comet, makes its maiden test-flight in England. The jet engine would ultimately revolutionize the airline industry, shrinking air travel time in half by enabling planes to climb faster and fly higher.

[8ntruck 9,057]

The Comet was a lesson in the failure analysis class I took in college.  Several of them fell out of the sky.  Turns out that fatigue cracks in the fuselage were the cause.  Seems the stress concentrations caused by the small radii in the corners of the passenger windows provided places for the cracks to start, while cabin pressurization and flight stresses caused them to grow.

 

This lesson is why passenger windows in airliners are that odd shape that is a combination of a square and a circle today.

[Sparky-(Admin) 25,944]

2 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

The Comet was a lesson in the failure analysis class I took in college.  Several of them fell out of the sky.  Turns out that fatigue cracks in the fuselage were the cause.  Seems the stress concentrations caused by the small radii in the corners of the passenger windows provided places for the cracks to start, while cabin pressurization and flight stresses caused them to grow.

 

This lesson is why passenger windows in airliners are that odd shape that is a combination of a square and a circle today.

  Didnt know that…I’ll be looking at the window  on my next flight a bit more closely! 

[SylvanLakeWH 31,748]

2 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

odd shape that is a combination of a square and a circle

Ahh... that's why 's are designed that way... to address the incredible forces brought to bear on the frame due to speed and g-forces... 

[ri702bill 12,493]

Yup - you get a WH airborne, the re-entry & landing can be sketchy at best!!

[Beap52 2,386]

I always check for cracks when flying.  Now I'll start checking radii of windows as well!