Aircraft Drainmast Water Steering and Heating Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drainmasts for aircraft lack efficient and effective water discharge into the airstream, often requiring larger size, heavier weight, higher heating power, and increased drag due to inefficient ice prevention and water management.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates water-steering features such as a vertically offset post-exit platform, water-spraying wall, water-kicking barrier, and water-escorting plank, along with a heater that minimizes heating power requirements by using conduit sections that do not widen the drainmast span, allowing for a smaller, lighter, and more aerodynamic structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the drainmast uses conventional water discharge design without vertical offset, then the structure can be simpler, but water discharge efficiency into the airstream is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertical offset dimension between the exit and post-exit platform, moving from a conventional horizontal arrangement to a three-dimensional configuration. This vertical separation allows water to be discharged more effectively into the airstream by utilizing the vertical dimension for water trajectory control, thereby improving discharge efficiency without excessive structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainmast structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: the exit for water discharge, the vertically offset post-exit platform for water redirection, and the foot with pulpit for additional water management. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, improving overall water discharge efficiency while maintaining manageable structural complexity.
2Reliability
If the drainmast includes comprehensive heating sections to prevent ice accumulation, then ice prevention is more effective, but the heating power requirements and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is designed with local quality by concentrating heating sections only at critical ice-prone locations such as the foot and pulpit areas, rather than heating the entire drainmast structure. This targeted approach maintains effective ice prevention where most needed while minimizing overall energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The heater conduit is routed to utilize the existing structural spaces and pathways of the drainmast, allowing the heating system to serve itself by integrating with the existing structure rather than requiring additional dedicated space and materials, thereby reducing overall system resource requirements.
3Productivity
If the drainmast uses larger size to improve water discharge capacity, then water discharge efficiency improves, but the weight and drag increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the horizontal size of the drainmast to improve water discharge capacity, the patent utilizes the vertical dimension by offsetting the post-exit platform vertically from the exit. This three-dimensional configuration allows effective water discharge into the airstream without increasing the horizontal footprint, thereby avoiding additional weight and drag penalties.
Solution Approach 2:
The water-steering features and heating conduit are nested within and integrated into the existing drainmast structure, particularly within the foot and pulpit regions. This nesting allows the system to achieve enhanced water discharge capacity without adding external bulk, maintaining a compact and lightweight design.
4Reliability
If the heater conduit wraps around heat sinks and bridges tubes, then heating coverage is improved, but the drainmast span widens and drag increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heater conduit is routed to wrap around heat sinks and bridge tubes in the vertical and longitudinal dimensions rather than extending horizontally outward. This three-dimensional routing provides comprehensive heating coverage while maintaining a compact cross-sectional profile, thereby minimizing aerodynamic drag.
Solution Approach 2:
The heater conduit is nested within the existing structural envelope of the drainmast, utilizing the internal volume and structural pathways. The conduit wraps around heat sinks and bridges tubes by integrating with the existing geometry, providing full heating coverage without widening the external dimensions of the drainmast, thus avoiding increased drag.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables efficient and effective water discharge into the airstream with reduced heating power needs, smaller size, lighter weight, and decreased drag, while preventing ice accumulation and ensuring efficient water shedding.
Implementation Method 1
a heater for heating the draintube (to prevent water from freezing therein) and a fairing encircling internal regions of the draintube and the heater. If the drainmast also includes an exit-defining foot, it must usually also be heated to avoid ice from accumulating thereon
Data Source
Figure 1~2B
Figure 2C~2F
Figure 2G~2H
AI summary
A drainmast (200) comprises an exit-defining foot (300), entrance-defining draintubes (400,500), a heater (600), and a fairing (700). The heater (600) heats the draintubes (400,500) to prevent water from freezing therein and heats the foot (300) to prevent ice from accumulating thereon. The foot (300) incorporates fluid-steering features to efficiently and effectively discharge drain water into the airstream (A).