My daughter asked me this question for her school project, but i did not know why they are round instead of square? Think it might have something to do with cannon's etc
2006-11-03 22:41:42 · 17 answers · asked by seafordrugby 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Boats & Boating
It is the strongest geometric shape for that application.
2006-11-03 22:43:45 · answer #1 · answered by Jimmy Pete 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Less stress on the boat, less risk of rupture, because the stresses are applied evenly to the surrounding metal. Same with aircraft - if you look at the history of the Comet, you'll see the square windows caused crashes. Most wooden boats older than 200 years don't have round portholes.
As far as cannon are concerned, those holes are actually square for three reasons. 1st, you need to traverse the cannon smoothly if required, so the hole needs to have a flat bottom. 2nd - they are covered by trapdoors while the boat is at sea and square is more practical. 3rd, you need to see around the cannon while operating it.
2006-11-04 06:50:21 · answer #2 · answered by Ian69 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually, gun ports are more usually rectangular...
Portholes are round because it's a strong shape. A ship's hull is subject to a lot of stresses and movement, and corners are points of potential fracture.
These days, with modern materials, they can be any size and shape you like, but traditionally they're round, for strength
2006-11-04 12:29:36 · answer #3 · answered by IanP 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually, they are not. A port-hole is a door, more or less rectangular in shape. What you are thinking of is more properly called a scuttle. These are round because this is the best shape to resist stress on the frames when the ship is working in a heavy sea.
2006-11-04 07:57:03 · answer #4 · answered by Jellicoe 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
possibly, that would make sense. may be something to do with stress to, the round edge of a porthole has no square edges where stress fatigue can start. Remember the comet airliner had square windows that fractured at the corners under stress and they crashed. They changed to rounded windows and the crashes stopped. or maybe its just something simple! lol
2006-11-04 06:46:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi >
Round windows, both on ships & aircraft, are to do with pressure.
The early failures of the DC8, and DC10, and various ships that fell foul of the seas, were to do with a simple fact.
A "square" window has a lot of pressure on the corners.
Which give way.
A round window has an equal amount of pressure around it.
Much better idea
There you go.
Bob the boat..
2006-11-04 13:56:46 · answer #6 · answered by Bob the Boat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they are not port holes, they are scuttles and no they are not tradionally round, they can be square also. Port holes is some thing that came from passenger ships. Civilianising a marine term for a ships opening
2006-11-06 06:45:49 · answer #7 · answered by richard_dargan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's an easier shape to seal, and easier shape of hole to make, and a stronger shape for the windows.
Ever wondered why windows on planes don't have sharp corners (they are curved at the corners)? That's because corners are weak points.
2006-11-04 06:49:50 · answer #8 · answered by k² 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Portholes are round because it presents the strongest shape and best chance of getting a watertight seal when closed.
2006-11-04 07:02:08 · answer #9 · answered by Daddybear 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Probably for strength, square holes are more lightly to create stress fractures at the corners, like aircarft windows
2006-11-04 08:11:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Easier to seal a round window.
2006-11-04 12:59:39 · answer #11 · answered by Bandit600 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋