The extreme engineering of aircraft windows
An industrial nightmare was brewing south of Los Angeles. In late May, a chemical storage tank with more than 7,000 gallons of toxic material began heating up รขยย fast. The tank belonged to GKN Aeroโฆ
In late May, a chemical storage tank with more than 7,000 gallons of toxic material began heating up รขยย fast. The tank belonged to GKN Aerospace, a company that supplies parts to the aviation industry, including aircraft windows.
As the temperature inside the shiny metal storage vessel rose, workers realised they had a problem. The tank was at risk of exploding, potentially showering nearby neighbourhoods with methyl methacrylate (MMA), a skin and lung-irritating , external compound used in plastics production.
The tank's temperature reached 100F (38C) รขยย though possibly went higher - 100F was simply the maximum reading , external on the temperature gauge inside.
More than 50,000 residents of Garden Grove city were evacuated and fire crews began hosing down the tank in a bid to cool it. At one point, the vessel "actually bulged" according to the local fire chief.
Thankfully, no explosion occurred. Months later, in August, GKN and local authorities announced a $100m (รยฃ74m) programme , external to compensate residents evacuated during the incident. But production of aircraft windows at the site, which had been halted, is still not fully restored.
This has sent a minor shockwave through the aircraft manufacturing industry because GKN is one of surprisingly few companies, anywhere in the world, that make aircraft windows รขยย highly engineered, safety-critical parts for planes.
Production at GKN's Garden Grove facility currently remains hobbled, at roughly 50% of normal, according to public statements , external by its UK parent company Melrose Industries. The aim is to have full production restored by 28 September. GKN declined an interview with the BBC.
"They're one of only a handful of suppliers รขยย less than a handful, really รขยย of critical windows," says Marisa Garcia, an aviation industry analyst. "One of the breaking points of supply chain in aviation is you have very few companies qualified to do something and, when something goes wrong, it really upsets the entire system."
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