Reefing Research
Band
- Where the reefing rings will be attached to
- Ripping the parachute/breaking reefing line if too much force is applied
- Weight of the stronger material may affect the deployment of the parachute
- Wires to line cutters should have no load on them - extra margin
- Fire from line cutters on parachute
- Attach ring of tougher/fireproof material below reefing line to protect against ripping/fire
- Sew on top of parachute
- If rings rip off or line cuts parachute, it hopefully rips material and not parachute itself
- Concern about too heavy/stiff and impacting parachute deployment, or maybe enough air pressure to not impact? Maybe higher on parachute is better based on intuition lol
- Zipties – compatible with line cutters and strong. Nylon lines also work with line cutters. Research/test to see what is stronger while still breaking in line cutter reliably
- Maybe attach them to a stronger material that will be sewn onto the parachute
Line Cutter
- ⅜” x 1.65”
- May be sewn onto a tougher, fire-resistant material (approx 3.3” width); length will depend on where the band will be attached
- Line cutter cord should not have load on it (ie it should always be slack)
Reefing Rings
- May be made of some metal?
- Main concern is weight + how it’ll be sewn onto the material
- May tear if too much shock force is applied
- If the material we use for the reefing lines is strong enough, we may use the same material for the rings
- Folding the zipties may compromise the integrity of the ziptie
- Ie make a circle out of zipties and attach that to the material
- Or use a more flexible material for folding the parachute
- Doesn’t need to be rigid
- Having a more flexible material (like a cord) is more reliable + less concerns
- Doesn’t have any sharp edges
- Less viable to tear
Materials:
- Ziptie/nylon cord (6 m)
- Line cutters
- Parachute bag material
- Reefing rings