Fuselage-mounted valve for condensate drainage and cabin-air pressurization

Abstract

A "bilge-like" valve, adapted to be mounted on the lowermost wall of an aircraft fuselage, is disclosed in which the valve has a normally open condition to drain accumulated condensate through a registering opening in the fuselage wall when the interior cabin is depressurized, and assumes a closed condition in response to a differentially higher cabin pressure relative to outside air pressure to seal off the interior of the fuselage. A valve housing retainer is affixed to the inner surface of the fuselage wall in registration with the wall opening for detachably retaining a valve housing incorporating a piston-like reciprocating valve member and biasing spring that is insertable and removable through the wall opening from the exterior of the aircrafts fuselage for ease of servicing. The housing retainer is of a generally inverted cup shape and has a central, interiorally threaded opening arranged in overlying registration with the fuselage wall opening for receiving the valve housing which is cylindrically shaped and has cooperating exterior threads. The valve housing is installed and removed by a tool that is inserted in a specially shaped valve port and which is used to apply a rotating force to the valve housing from the exterior of the aircraft. The perimeter of the cup shaped retainer protectively surrounds the installed valve housing, and is formed with a plurality of fluid passing, debris blocking ports to ensure reliable valve operation and complete drainage of condensate when the valve is open.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.