Integrated Drain Mast Fairing for Aircraft Drag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drain masts for aircraft are cumbersome to repair and contribute to drag due to their separate tube design and assembly requirements, which complicates maintenance and increases fuel consumption.
Innovation Solution
A modular drain mast design featuring fairing bodies with integral drain channels and an inlet nipple, joined using adhesive, forming a seamless airfoil shape that integrates the drain tube with the fairing walls, allowing for easier assembly and reduced drag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional separate tube design is used, then drain function is achieved, but drag increases and repair becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the drain tube and fairing into a single integrated structure where the tube is formed as an integral part of the airfoil-shaped fairing. This eliminates the need for separate tube assembly and reduces the number of components, directly addressing the repair difficulty and assembly complexity issues while maintaining the drain function.
Solution Approach 2:
The fairing is designed with a seam line that allows it to be formed from two separate pieces that are joined together. This segmentation facilitates manufacturing and repair processes while still achieving the integrated tube-fairing structure, as the seam provides a natural assembly interface without requiring complex joining of separate tube and fairing components.
2Reliability
If full length tubes are used, then drain function is achieved, but repair requires significant effort including dismantling and repainting
Solution Approach 1:
The fairing is designed with a seam line that divides it into two segments that can be separated for repair access. This allows the tube to remain integrated with the fairing while still enabling relatively easy access for maintenance, avoiding the need to dismantle the entire structure as would be required with conventional separate tube designs.
3Ease of manufacture
If separate tube and fairing assembly is used, then manufacturing is achieved, but clearance requirements increase drag
Solution Approach 1:
The drain tube is formed as an integral part of the fairing structure, eliminating the clearance gap that exists between separate tube and fairing components. This integration removes the drag-causing clearance while the fairing can still be manufactured using conventional processes, including the seam-based construction method.
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
The design simplifies repair, reduces drag, and lowers manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for separate tube assembly and minimizing clearance between the tube and fairing, while maintaining a pressure-tight fluid flow path.
Implementation Method 1
The first and second fairing bodies can be non-metallic, e.g. fiberglass, and can be joined together by an adhesive, e.g., epoxy.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
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AI summary
A drain mast (100) includes a first fairing body (102) defining a first fairing wall (104) and a first drain portion (106). A second fairing body (108) defines a second fairing wall (110) and a second drain portion (112). The first and second fairing bodies are joined together as a fairing (114) with the first and second fairing walls as opposed exterior fairing walls, and with the first and second drain portions joined to form a drain passage (116) through the fairing from a drain passage inlet (118) to a drain passage outlet (120).