Parks College Parachute Research Group Research Projects

Parks College Parachute Research Group

Research Projects

The following is a partial list of PRG specific research projects. Many of our government sponsored research projects cannot yet be described here, but will be in the future.

Slider Drag Cancellation: Another Cause of Hard Parachute Openings, a mechanism which, either on its own or in conjunction with other mechanisms, may lead to very hard openings.
PIFCALC, the Parachute Inflation Calculator, a Windows-based computer program for the computation of the opening shock of manned parachutes.
- Related AIAA document: AIAA-2007-2551, Testing Without Load Cells - Can Opening Shock Be Estimated From Video Data Only?
- Related AIAA document: AIAA-2007-2551 Talk, the presentation given by Dr. Jean Potvin at the May 2007 AIAA conference
OSCALC, the Opening Shock Calculator, a Windows-based computer program for the computation of parachute opening shock.
PIMS, the Parachute Inflation Modeling Suite, a Windows-based computer program for the simulation of parachute inflation.
Three-Stage Model for Slider-Reefed Parafoil Inflation - Presented at the 19th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference and Seminar, Williamsburg, VA, May 22-24, 2007, Paper AIAA-2007-2501
Semi-Numerical Derivation of the Opening Shock Factor and Inflation Time for Slider-Reefed Parafoils - Presented at the 19th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference and Seminar, Williamsburg, VA, May 22-24, 2007, Paper AIAA-2007-2508
Opening Shock and Shape of the Drag-vs-Time Curve - Presented at the 19th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference and Seminar, Williamsburg, VA, May 22-24, 2007, (No paper number, created by Dr. Jean Potvin at the conference to fill an unexpected vacancy in the schedule.)
A New Inflation Model for Low-Porosity Hemispherical Parachutes: Validation and Implementation in PIMS V3.0 - Presented at the 18th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference and Seminar, Munich, Germany, May 23-26, 2005, Paper AIAA 2005-1687.
Modeling the Interaction of Sub-scale Parachutes With Atmospheric Turbulent Eddies - Presented at the 18th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference and Seminar, Munich, Germany, May 23-26, 2005, Paper AIAA 2005-1675.
Inflation and Steady-Descent Characteristics of Truncated Cone Decelerators - Presented at the 18th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference and Seminar, Munich, Germany, May 23-26, 2005, Paper AIAA 2005-1620.
Glide Performance Study of Standard and Hybrid Cruciform Parachutes - Presented at the 17th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conference and Seminar, Monterey, CA, May 19 -22, 2003, Paper AIAA-2003-2160.
A New Model of Decelerating Bluff Body Drag - A new model of the drag force generated by a freely decelerating bluff body is presented. Published in the Journal of Aircraft, 40, No. 2, pp. 370-377, 2003.
Accelerating Disk Drag: Theory and Applications - Presented at the 20th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, St. Louis, MO, June 24 -26, 2002, Paper AIAA-2002-3055.
Inflation and Glide Studies of Slider-Reefed Cruciform Parachutes - Presented at the 16th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conference and Seminar Boston, MA, May 2001, Paper AIAA-2001-2021.
More Scaling Laws for Ram-Air Parachute Inflation - Presented at the 16th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conference and Seminar Boston, MA, May 2001, Paper AIAA-2001-2021.
Deceleration Dynamics of Unreefed Cruciform and Flat Circular Parachutes During and After Inflation - Presented at the 16th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conference and Seminar Boston, MA, May 2001, Paper AIAA-2001-2021.
Modeling the Inflation of Ram-Air Parachutes Reefed with Sliders - Validating one of our inflation computer models with data collected during manned test jumps. Published in the Journal of Aircraft volume 38 number 5 page 818-827, 2001.
The Improved Ideal Parachute Model and its Application to the Study of Inflation Dynamics of Slider-Reefed Ram-Air and Round Parachutes - Presented at the 15th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference, Toulouse, France, June 9-11, 1999.
Experimental Validation of the Ideal Parachute Model: A Status Report - Presented at the 15th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference, Toulouse, France, June 9-11, 1999.
Wind Tunnel Study of Cruciform Parachutes Folded in Various Configurations - Presented at the 15th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference, Toulouse, France, June 9-11, 1999.
Experimental Study of Fluid-Structure Interactions on a Cross Parachute: Comparison of Wind Tunnel Data and Drop Data With Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations Predictions - Presented at the 15th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference, Toulouse, France, June 9-11, 1999.
In-Flight Study of Cell Pressurization Inside Inflating Smokejumper Ram-Air Canopies - Our continuing work for the BLM Smokejumpers to study the openings of their special canopies. Presented at the 15th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference, Toulouse, France, June 9-11, 1999.
Investigating skydiving freefall speeds using a barograph - This report, which includes summary of jump data from over 50 jumps of many types, a graph of freefall speed from an entire formation skydive, and a Freefall Speeds Chart, is a comprehensive study of skydiving fall rates whose origins began in 1990.
Bureau of Land Management smokejumper Freefall - Speed and Drogue Force Study BLM test jumpers outfitted with PRG instruments to measure the freefall speed of their drogue rides (smokejumpers have drogue rides like Tandem skydivers) and the loading of the drogue bridle.
Unfolding Parachute Inflation Modeling - Investigates the dynamics of fabric unfolding during the deployment of round parachutes. Started in 1997, this ongoing theoretical project will produce results that will someday find their way into parachute design computer programs.
Pressure Distribution Above and Below an Inflating Ram-Air Parachute - First in-flight pressure measurements inside and outside an inflating parachute! Presented at the 16th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference.
Wind Tunnel Study of Ram-Air Parachute Cell Inflation - This study, carried out in 1997, consisted of deploying and inflating a model of a single ram-air parachute cell. Internal pressure measurements were performed to give the research community the first time-evolution of pressurization rates in a ram-air cell. Presented at the 14th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference.
The Parks College Ram-Air Parachute Deployment Study - This project was our first electronic riser load study which started in 1996. Presented at the 1997 PIA Symposium and at the 14th AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference.