Material, Aerodynamic, and Operational Aspects of Single-Skin Paraglider.

Abstract

The operating comfort of a paraglider is created by the aerodynamic parameters as well as the mass and packing volume of the wing. A classic paraglider has upper and lower covers. To reduce the material and manufacturing costs as well as protect the environment, it is possible to introduce a single-skin wing. This article conducts an analysis of a single-skin paraglider covered only with upper panels, whereas the lower cover is applied only at the leading and trailing edges. The analysis is theoretically oriented; aerodynamic and structural calculations were performed using the ANSYS environment. The single-skin structure was evaluated in terms of the predicted behavior during flight and the material's deformation under the influence of a specified pressure and the overloads acting on it. The results show that developing these structures may influence the creation of models with comparable aerodynamic characteristics to traditional ones. Additionally, the reduced masses and packing volumes of difficult-to-degrade materials are strongly correlated with saving costs and an ecological approach. No corresponding studies were found in the available literature. Thus, this presented analysis may result in a greater understanding and application of this paraglider type.