Effects of the Abrasiveness of Test and Training Site Soils on Parachute Life
Abstract
The failure of individual parachutes, as a function of service life and exposure, has long been of interest. Examination of a sampling of parachutes used by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Forest Service 'Smokejumpers' indicates that suspension lines begin to degrade during the first 30 users. Laboratory tests confirmed that suspension line degradation is the most common way that parachutes fail, and that this degradation is primarily a result of the accumulation of grit within the suspension lines. It was concluded that inherent geological differences in soil properties would alter the service life of personnel parachutes deployed in varying geographic locales. This report describes the physical properties of surface soil samples collected in varying locales, at established drop zones, maneuver areas, test centers and from the test pit used by Rodier et al. (1989). Table 1 presents the soil specimens provided for analysis. Representative specimens were collected from the surface, sealed in plastic bags and transported to the laboratory.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA252389
Entities
People
- Austin W. Hogan
Organizations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory