Definition of air lock in English English dictionary
{i} airtight chamber, small area between two airtight doors which allows one to pass through to an area with a different atmospheric pressure; pocket of air or vapor in a pipe that prevents the regular flow of fluids
A sealed, airtight chamber, such as in a manned spacecraft or submarine, used to provide access to and from the sealed area without allowing air out or water in
A small device, designed to be affixed to the top of a fermenter An airlock allows the CO2 produced during fermentation to escape, without allowing airborne bacteria to enter the fermenter The most common type is called a three piece airlock, and consists of a small plastic chamber, a float which sits inside the chamber, and a dust cover The chamber is partially filled with liquid - plain water, sanitizing solution, or vodka, depending on how paranoid you are - and the CO2 bubbles out from underneath the float There is also a single-piece, "sideways S" type of airlock which is in fairly widespread use
An intermediate chamber between the outer atmosphere and a working chamber of a vehicle to eliminate air leakage and to protect an established environment
- A patented Quantum feature that ensures durable and reliable data storage Upon removal of power from the drive for any reason, the read/write heads automatically park and lock in a non data area called the landing zone AIRLOCK allows the drive to withstand high levels of non-operating shock When power is applied to the drive, airflow created from the spinning disks causes the AIRLOCK arm to swing back and unlock the actuator, allowing the heads to move from the landing zone Upon power down, the AIRLOCK swings back to the locked position, locking the heads in the landing zone A park utility is not required to park the heads on drives equipped with AIRLOCK (all Quantum drives)
A plastic cylindrical device with a cap that is either a one piece unit with triple bubbles or a three piece unit with a plastic insert The airlock is filled halfway with water to allow carbon dioxide to escape without letting the bacteria in the air to get back in
A homebrewing gizmo that sits on top of the fermenter It lets CO2 gas from the fermenting beer escape, but doesn't let any outside air in This keeps bacteria and wild yeast out of the beer