Paraglider Wing Research Articles

Experimental and Numerical Determination of Strength Characteristics Related to Paraglider Wing with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy of Applied Materials.

The aim of paper is to determine experimentally and numerically the strength characteristics related to the paraglider wing with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of applied materials. The applied method consists in theoretical modeling supplemented by the tests of material parameters. First, the set of 10 lightweight fabrics was selected for the tests; the samples are representative for these structures. The materials were tested using the spectroscopy to determine the FTIR spectra. The samples differ in the content of certain characteristic groups. Air permeability change of the materials was determined for the different pressure drops. The air permeability of almost all the analyzed samples was close to zero with the exception of only one material. The tensile strength and elongation at the break of samples were determined on the testing machine. The paraglider samples were characterized by slightly decreased mechanical properties compared to the parachute fabrics. The material characteristics determined during the tests are the input data for the theoretical analysis. The numerical model of the paraglider wing is based on a 3D geometry from previous research, but the stress, strain, and deformation were determined using the ANSYS Structural program and the finite elements method. To determine the strength correctly, we introduce two basic values: the absolute maximal and the representative values that are the biggest repetitive values of stress, strain, and deformation. The stress value was determined by the main factors: (i) the thinner the material, the bigger the stresses that were accumulated; (ii) the stronger the material, the bigger the stresses that were accumulated. The results are similar for all materials and differ mainly by the values. The biggest stresses were observed inside the material contacting the ribs, whereas the biggest deformation and strain were in the regions between ribs, and the smallest were in the contact areas with the fixed supports. Their highest intensity was observed on the leading edge of the paraglider. We conclude that the obtained stresses were far from the breaking level for the wing.

Design of a small-scale UAV textile wing fluid-structure numerical modelling

This paper depicts the early phase in the research development for an integrated UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)support system tailored for emergency response actions and remote sensing. The support system is envisioned as an integrated Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) system that consists of one or more ultralight multifunctional aerial units with a configuration that can be adapted to the nature of the intervention: monitoring, mapping, observation, logistics etc. These aerial units comprise of para-motor type UAVs that use textile paraglider wings of a special design. The overall development and theoretical design aspects that are involved in this research is subject of change been part of an ongoing research study. Starting from wing airfoil and material selection, a design phase is under development for a single sail paraglider wing that can meet the operational demands for the envisioned system. The wing is designed mainly to have an easy handling, predictable deployment at all times and good aerodynamic characteristics. The paper tackles in particular the stretch effect on the wing and the influence on these aerodynamic characteristics as well as means of minimizing the adverse effects.

Estimation of Seams in Paraglider Wing

Abstract The aim of the article is to analyze the seams connecting the covering textiles in paraglider wing and estimate their physical strength. The most extreme flight parameters (the angle of attack and velocity) in the numerical model of the wing allow the determination of the mean pressure inside the contour and the maximal difference between the pressures on the inner and the outer material surfaces. The preprocessing stage and numerical calculations in Ansys environment consider three different covering materials. The tool Porous Media is used to create the objects of a given value of air permeability. The estimated parameter of seam is the maximal pressure difference between both sides of the covering material, which that interacts with the test results. The quality index of the seam is defined by the maximal force to seam rupture and relative elongation during rupture. The obtained results indicate that the seams are resistant to the pressure difference caused by the most extreme flight parameters.

Sensitivity of Aerodynamic Characteristics of Paraglider Wing to Properties of Covering Material

Abstract The paper is theoretically oriented. The main goal is to analyze the sensitivity of aerodynamic characteristics to the properties of the material used for paraglider wing. The paraglider of considerable dimensions is designed without stiffening elements. Thus, the covering material yields adequate pressure distribution between the external and internal parts of the wing. The problem is solved using a geometrical model approximated by the dimensionless coordinates of crucial points and smoothed by spline curves. The finite volume mesh is defined using the Ansys Meshing program. Numerical analysis uses five different covering materials, ranging from the air-impermeable covering to the covering subjected to hydrolytic—mechanical degradation. Optimization of properties of the covering material improves the lift force and the aerodynamic characteristics of the wing. Moreover, numerical modeling is more beneficial and efficient than prototype tests. The obtained pressure distributions and other parameters explain the aerodynamic safety of the paraglider during dynamic conditions of flight.

Integrated UAS system – Single skin textile wing

This paper depicts the early phase of development for an integrated system tailored for emergency response actions and remote sensing. This paper focuses on the support system envisioned as an integrated Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) system that consists of one or more ultra light multifunctional aerial units with a configuration that can be adapted to the nature of the intervention: monitoring, mapping, observation and logistics etc. Starting from wing airfoil and material selection and ending with the experimental model manufacture, the paper will present the development of a single sail paraglider wing that can meet the operational demands for emergency response situations. The wing was designed mainly to have an easy handling and to have a predictable deployment at all times. The entire system and the aerial units were designed with increased modularity in order to be tailored for specific operational requirements of the intervention.

Textile Cover Effect on Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Paraglider Wing

Defined herein are the two PA-fabrics covering a paraglider wing, with the comparative object being permeable clothing material. The material parameters of textiles are applied in numerical simulations of aerodynamic characteristics using the program ANSYS. The state variable is the pressure within the airfoil profile. The space model of a paraglider wing and plane model of its cross-section in the symmetry plane are analysed. The model was approximated by the coordinates of crucial points and smoothed by the spline-curves. The visualisation of stream filaments shows that it is advisable to cover the wing with the impermeable fabric.

Textile Cover Effect on Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Paraglider Wing

Textile Cover Effect on Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Paraglider Wing

Identification of a degradation of aerodynamic characteristics of a paraglider due to its flexibility from flight test

PurposeAerodynamics of paragliders is very complicated aeroelastic phenomena. The purpose of this work is to quantify the amount of aerodynamic drag related to the flexible nature of a paraglider wing.Design/methodology/approachThe laboratory testing on scaled models can be very difficult because of problems in the elastic similitude of such a structure. Testing of full-scale models in a large facility with a large full-scale test section is very expensive. The degradation of aerodynamic characteristics is evaluated from flight tests of the paraglider speed polar. All aspects of the identification such as pilot and suspension lines drag and aerodynamics of spanwise chambered wings are discussed. The drag of a pilot in a harness was estimated by means of wind tunnel testing, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver was used to estimating smooth wing lift and drag characteristics.FindingsThe drag related to the flexible nature of the modern paraglider wing is within the range of 4-30 per cent of the total aerodynamic drag depending on the flight speed. From the results, it is evident that considering only the cell opening effect is sufficient at a low-speed flight. The stagnation point moves forwards towards the nose during the high speed flight. This causes more pronounced deformation of the leading edge and thus increased drag.Practical implicationsThis paper deals with a detailed analysis of specific paraglider wing. Although the results are limited to the specific geometry, the findings help in the better understanding of the paraglider aerodynamics generally.Originality/valueThe data obtained in this paper are not affected by any scaling problems. There are only few experimental results in the field of paragliders on scaled models. Those results were made on simplified models at very low Reynolds number. The aerodynamic drag characteristics of the pilot in the harness with variable angles of incidence and Reynolds numbers have not yet been published.

Experimental Investigation on Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Paraglider Wing

Experimental Investigation on Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Paraglider Wing

Improvement in Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Paraglider Wing Canopy

To determine the parameters which can improve the overall performance of a paraglider wing canopy, we have been investigating the fundamental aerodynamic characteristics of an inflatable cell model which is designed to represent the dynamic behaviors of each cell comprising the wing canopy. This paper describes the results of a series of wind tunnel experiments. It is shown that significant drag reduction can be achieved by adopting an appropriately designed shape for the soft cloth comprising the upper surface. A trade-off relationship between the aerodynamic quality (characterized by the lift-to-drag ratio) and structural strength (characterized by the internal air pressure coefficient) of the canopy is also examined in detail.

Stress and Shape Analysis of a Paraglider Wing

A combined aerodynamic-structural analysis is made which is based on the assumption that the sail is flexible and has freedom to take the shape which the aerodynamic pressure and the internal stresses dictate. Numerical results were obtained for Newtonian impact aerodynamic theory and were compared with published results obtained for a rigid idealization of the paraglider wing. It was found that the assumed rigid idealization did not approximate the shape of a flexible wing well and led to significant errors in the lift and drag forces and the lift-to-drag ratio. The new calculations provide a basis for design of paragliders for hypersonic flight.