Importance

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Abstract

A drainmast (10) for discharging liquid from a moving aircraft (12). The drainmast (10) includes a fairing (20) having a mounting flange (24), a flow-controlling cap (26), and an aerodynamically advantageous mast (28) extending therebetween. The flow-controlling cap (26) has a lower surface defining an airflow-redirecting zone, a liquid-release zone, and a liquid-recirculation zone. The redirecting zone is shaped to redirect airflow (A) into the release zone in a direction parallel to the discharge direction (D) of the drain tube (22). The release zone is shaped to encourage the redirected airflow (A.sub.redir) to sweep a substantial portion of the released liquid away from the fairing in a primary flow path (L). The recirculation zone captures escaped liquid from the release zone and recirculates this escaped liquid back into the release zone in recirculation flow path (L.sub.rec1). The rear and side surfaces of the cap (26) may include a continuous groove (66) aligned with the airflow direction A. The groove (66) defines a second recirculation zone which captures liquid escaping from the primary flow path upstream of the recirculation zone and/or liquid escaping from the first recirculation zone, and which directs the captured liquid into a secondary flow path (L.sub.sec), into the primary flow path (L), and/or into the first recirculation zone.

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First Claim