High flying airliners don't have right angled (or sharp angled) corners as these become weak spots from which cracks can develop. Aviation enthusiasts might remember this was the cause of the de Havilland Comet crashes in the 50s. Ever since then all jet airliner windows have curved corners.
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| Sharp angled corner.... |
I've started working on the putting the curves onto my cockpit windows. Early tests using thin wood or MDF showed that you could only bend it so far before the wood or MDF snapped. One thing I know is that wood can be bent more easily if it is wetted, so having measured where I needed to make a bend I placed the 3mm MDF strip I'm using for the lining in a basin of hot water. Whilst submerged I flexed the strip in the direction I wanted the curve to follow. As you work it, you can feel it becoming more flexible and after about 30 seconds it is ready for taking out and inserting into the frame.
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| ........rounded of using MDF |
The pencil marks you see help to identify the area that needs to be immersed in water and the extend of the bend
I've made a short video that shows how I went about bending the MDF and fitting it to the frame:
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