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 – 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) – 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 (£74m) 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.

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