In the event of an emergency, aircraft slides are utilized as a rapid means of egress and can inflate in just six seconds! We’ve all seen the safety posters and videos showing how to use the aircraft’s evacuation slide in an emergency. But do you know how they work? Let’s look more ᴄʟᴏsᴇly.
Each slide has been specifically created for its position on an aircraft model. It must be small and light in order to be kept beside the emergency exit windows, below the door sill, or inside an aircraft door. A lever on the inner door connects the slide to the door. This lever is in the “armed” position when the aircraft is in flight, and if the door is opened, the slide will deploy.
It takes the slide out of its container as the door opens. The slide then settles into place and starts to expand. The slide is first inflated using compressed gas, however this only supplies about one-third of the gas required for a full inflation. The remainder is supplied by ambient air that is sent into the slide-through aspirators.
The gas from the canister flows quickly through the aspirators and creates a vacuum when the inflating mechanism is first activated. Louvers that let ambient air into the aspirators ᴄʟᴏsᴇ once the slide is fully inflated.
Let’s take a look at 10 Fastest Aircraft Evacuation Slides in the video below:
Source: A D Warren
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