Notes on a Generic Parachute Opening Force Analysis

摘要

The determination of parachute opening shock forces is one of the most vital elements in decelerator system design. This report develops a generic opening shock analysis that permits calculation of velocity profiles, shock factors, maximum shock forces and their time of occurrence during deployment for many types of parachutes. Criteria are presented and methods of calculation developed. Application of the analysis to an apparent anomaly in solid cloth parachute finite mass deployment, verifies the parachute diameter effect shown in the test performance. This is illustrated by an example. (Author)