Canopy Geometry Effect on the Aerodynamic Behavior of Cross-Type Parachutes

Abstract

Cross-type parachutes have been traditionally used for the deceleration of a variety of moving projectiles. In recent years their use has been extended to include the roll of stabilizers. The static and dynamic characteristics of the parachute, in stand-alone or as part of a closely coupled payload-parachute cone guration, have gained increased attention. Cross-type parachutes produce higher drag when spinning. The spin characteristics and their dynamic effect on the stability have produced yet another variable that should be considered in the control restrictions of the parachute design. An experimental investigation of the canopy geometrical variations ine uence on the aerodynamic characteristic of a (W/L = 0.333) crosstype parachute was conducted in the subsonic wind tunnel at the Technion— Israel Institute of Technology. The results show that small geometrical variations produce consistent changes in the aerodynamic characteristics in a manner that allows the designer to optimize the canopy geometry to obtain a desired behavior.