David E. A. Reichenau
Published: 1965
Total Pages: 37
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As an extension of studies previously completed, a test was conducted in the Propulsion Wind Tunnel, Supersonic (16S), to determine the effect of Mach number on the drag, stability, and inflation characteristics of a number of parachutes. The parachute characteristics were investigated at Mach numbers from 1.8 to 3.0 at pressure altitudes from 82,000 to 104,000 ft. Two general types of parachutes were tested: the hyperflo-type parachute using three general design concepts with porosities from 7.0 to 10.9 percent and the hemisflo-type parachute with and without reefing. Data obtained indicated that the hyperflo parachutes had good inflation characteristics at Mach number 2.6 and the drag decreased with increasing Mach number. The hemisflo parachutes had good inflation characteristics in the 1.8 to 2.2 Mach number range. For any given configuration, the stability was found to be essentially constant with varying Mach number. (Author).