Air Lock (INSTANT • 2026)

In engineering, an air lock is a chamber that allows people or objects to pass between areas of different air pressures without significantly changing the pressure of either environment.

Related resources for this article ... Courtesy of Elgood-Mayo Corp., Lancaster, Pa. Courtesy of Elgood-Mayo Corp., Lancaster, Pa. Britannica Kids air lock

: Historically used in underwater tunnels and bridge foundations (caissons) to transition workers from atmospheric pressure to high-pressure work zones. In engineering, an air lock is a chamber

An is a device or physical phenomenon involving trapped air that regulates passage between different pressures or blocks the flow of liquids . Depending on the field—whether aerospace, plumbing, or medicine—an "air lock" serves very different purposes. 1. Pressure Regulation (Engineering & Aerospace) Pa. Courtesy of Elgood-Mayo Corp.