Novel Parfoil Construction using 3D Weaving Techniques

Ram air paragliders offer the advantage of relatively safe and quiet insertion of cargo that can be remotely guided to within 100 meters of the target point. Fabrication of cargo ram air parafoils however involves cumbersome cut-and-sew processes which is labor intensive leading to high cost. Weaving the ram air parafoil fabric in Net Shape Three Dimensions (NS3D) will eliminate the labor intensive cut-and-sew method. Two methods will be investigated and the best method will be used for the deliverable. Current parafoils are made of non-porous materials with ribs cut and sewn into the top and bottom of the canopy forming cells, into which the air flows. Moving through the air, filling each cell in the parafoil creates lift. This mechanism forms an aerodynamic wing-like structure. The cut and sewing process can be replaced however by other structural designs which can be manufactured cheaper and can carry heavier loads. One such design is a series of arched and tapered tubes sandwiched on the top and bottom with flat woven material. The real challenge in the airfoil project is creating an arched and tapered tube that contains no seams. Arched tubes are fairly routine in practice using NS3D weaving. However, weaving of the tapered tube requires more research for perfecting the technique (Fig. 1). FFF has the necessary technology and skill in order to successfully complete the task. BENEFITS: In addition to military and sport paragliders, this structure can be rigidized. The rigid parafoil form can be used to construct wings for military and sport gliders as well as motorized aircraft that are either heavier or lighter then air. For the same reasons that such structure can be used in an efficient aircraft, it can be used for watercraft structures as well. This can be accomplished by fitting the hydro surface with structural beams-ribs.