The Fluid Physics of Parachut Inflation

AUG 01, 1993

Cloth packed to the density of oak emerges from its container in a second, changes its shape from cylindrical log to ‘cloth streamers’ to hemispherical cup in another 2 seconds, and decelerates a one‐ton payload from the speed of sound to highway speed limits.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881361

Carl W. Peterson

Parachutes have a fascinating history and a promising future. They were born long before airplanes, in ancient China. Leonardo da Vinci made sketches of a parachutelike device at the end of the 15th century, and Fauste Veranzio parachuted from a Venetian tower in 1617. By the time airplanes arrived on the scene, parachutes were older than Methuselah.

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References

1. J. W. Purvis, J. Aircraft 20, 940 (November 1983); https://doi.org/JAIRAM
“Improved Prediction of Parachute Line Sail During Lines‐First Deployment,” pub. AIAA 84‐0786, Am. Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Washington, D.C. (April 1984).
2. K. R. Stein, R. J. Benney, E. C. Steeves, “A Computational Model That Couples Aerodynamic and Structural Dynamic Behavior of Parachutes During the Opening Process,” tech. rep. Natick/TR‐93/029, US Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Mass. (April 1993).
3. J. H. Strickland, “Axisymmetric Bluff‐Body Flow: A Vortex Solver for Thin Shells,” rep. SAND91‐2760, Sandia Natl. Labs., Albuquerque, N. M. (May 1992).

More about the authors

Carl W. Peterson, Sandia National, Laboratories.