Definition

Noun: A sealed chamber with two or more doors, which allows passage between spaces of different air pressure, especially between a pressurized environment and the outside atmosphere or space. It is designed to prevent the direct exchange of air or loss of pressure when people or objects pass through.

Usage

An airlock is used to maintain a controlled atmospheric environment. It is a crucial component in spacecraft, submarines, hyperbaric chambers, cleanrooms, and some laboratory or industrial settings. - The primary function is to equalize pressure gradually, allowing safe transit. - It acts as a barrier to contain contaminants, water, or differing air compositions.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The astronauts entered the airlock before their spacewalk.
  • The laboratory's cleanroom is accessed through a small airlock to prevent dust from entering.
  • Before diving, the workers passed through an airlock to enter the pressurized tunnel.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in the airlock": To be in the transitional chamber, often implying a state of waiting or preparation before entering a different environment.
  • The samples are in the airlock, undergoing decontamination before entering the sterile lab.

Variants and Related Words

• Airlock chamber: A more formal or technical term for an airlock.
• Decompression chamber: A specific type of airlock used in diving to slowly adjust pressure and prevent decompression sickness.
• Sas (or Sassen): A less common synonym, derived from the word "sas" (sluice), used in some technical contexts.

Synonyms

• Pressure chamber (in specific contexts)
• Lock chamber
• Vestibule (in a very general architectural sense for a transitional space, but without the pressure-sealing function)

Related Phrases

• Cycle the airlock: To operate the airlock's doors and pressure equalization sequence.
  • We need to cycle the airlock before the next team can enter.
• Airlock door: Refers specifically to one of the sealed doors of the airlock chamber.

Noun

1. a chamber that provides access to space where air is under pressure