Aerodynamic models and calculations for parachutes?

[rasmack 0]

I have been contacted by the people running an introductory physics course for high school students at the University of Copenhagen. They wanted to do a theme on parachutes. To that end they wanted to borrow a parachute. I fixed them up with an old not-airworthy student rig from my DZ. However, being physicists, they want to be able to make some calculations as to for example what the lift would be at this and that airspeed, and they want these calculations to be comprehesible to high school students.

Does anyone here know, where I might find any such calculations? Web ressources? Books? I consider it worth the effort to help here, both as a skydiver and a physicist. This could be a good outreach activity for both.

HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227
“I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.”
- Not quite Oscar Wilde...

[pincheck 0]

why not put it to manufacturers good pr for them (future business) i am sure their R & D people at aerodyne or pd would be happy to help

Billy-Sonic Haggis Flickr-Fun

[darkwing 5]

It can be done (rudimentarily) using Bernouilli's equation, which is about as good as they are likely to do. B's equation is in most intro-level physics books. If they have any math/graphics software, such as Mathematica, Maple, etc. they could work up a nice model which lets them input dimensions and speeds, and it would spit out some results.

A "real" model would be either a useless "black box" program, or too complex for them.

My perspective is as a university physics teacher who has done some of this stuff.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[ryoder 1,590]

http://www.parapublishing.com/parachute/resources.html#reports

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[larsrulz 0]

You might see if these people have any useful information to help you out. But in all honesty, a simple bernoulli calculation will probably be as extensive as one can get, or throw in the lift and drag equations and it is a moderately intersting problem. It's interesting in that they can see that the speed of a parachute will change dependent upon the weight that it has to carry, i.e. lift must equal weight in steady flight.

I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF