US2409562A - Paper parachute - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1946. JD. B. HASTINGS J 2 409,562 PAPER PARACHl ITE Filec i Dec. 4, 1943 1 V MP1 "5' If Patented Oct. 15, 1946 PAPER PARACHUTE Dana 13. Hastings, Framingham, Mass, assignor to Dennison Manufacturing Company, Framingham, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 4, 1943, Serial No. 512,854

' In the art of aeronautics it is often desirable to drop articles of various kinds by parachute, and intime of war there is of (:ourse far greater need for such practice, particularly for dropping food and other supplies to service men in inaccessible places. However, the practice has been greatly restricted heretofore by the cost of parachutes. It has been proposed to make parachutes of paper but they have not been very satisfactory. While it is possible to make paper parachutes which, except for the shock of opening, are strong enough to carry fairly heavy loads, heretofore it has not been possible to make them withstand the shock of opening when heavily loaded.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a parachute which is inexpensive in construotion, which carries heavy loads, which withstands the shock of opening when carrying heavy loads, which requires only materials which are cheap and plentiful, which can be manufactured rapidly and economically, and which is reliable in operation.

According to the present invention the parachute comprises a paper canopy having one or more sections of open-mesh material, the ratio of material to paper being high enough substantially to vent the canopy whereby the shock of opening is relieved sufficiently to avoid damage to the paper. Preferably the section or'sectioris of open-mesh material extend circumferentially of the canopy intermediate itscen ter and periph ery and they alternate with the sections of paper. For reinforcement a circumferential tape may be secured to the adjacent edges of the paper and open-mesh material. In the preferred embodiment each paper section comprises a plurality of segments of crepe paper having the creping extending radially of the canopy, the adjoining margins of the segments being disposed in abutting relationship, with radial tapes secured to the abutting margins and having extensions extending below the bottom edge of the canopy for at- Claims. *(Cl. 244-445) tachment to supporting cords, the radial tapes Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive are sections on lines 33 to 6-6 of Fig. 1 respectively. The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises three paper sections l, 2 and 3 and two openrnesh sections 4 and 5'. Preferably the paper sections are made of creped kraft paper with the creping extending radially of the canopy and the open-mesh sections are made of strong netting. Each of the paper sections is made up of a plurality of radial segments and, while the openmesh sections may be in the form of a continuous strip extending continuously around the canopy, they too are preferably made in segments whose widths correspond to those of the paper segments. As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 the segments are preferably tapered towards the middle and they are graduated in width so that the ccrrespcnding edges of segments of the different sections are in alignment radially of the canopy. Thus the segments 6, l, 8, 9 and H of sections 5, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively, together form a complete segment extending from the periphery of the canopy all the way to the central opening H. As shown in Fig. 4 the adjacent edges of the segments are turned outwardly into abuttin relationship and a radial tape it is stitched over the outturned margins. Thus the radial tapes interconnect the segments of each of the sections 1 to 5 inclusive. As shownin Fig. ,3 the lower margin of the canopy is protected by a tape [4 folded over the edge. and stitched thereto. This edge is also preferably reinforced by a second tape .15 stitched along the outer margin of the canopy. Thenpper edge is of thecanopy may be similarly reinforced. As'shown in Fig. 5 the edges of the sections overlap and are reinforced by tapes ll. The paper sections may also be reinforced intermediate their upper and lower edges. Thus the upper and lower sections l and 3 are reinforced by tapes l3 and 59. When the radial tapes [2 are applied before the circumferential tapes 12, I4, [5, ll, [8 and IS, the outwardly projecting radial seams (Fig. i) are folded over at the intersections with the circumferential tapes. While the tapes may be formed of any suitable material the preferred embodiment comprises nylon for I2, I8 and i9, cotton for It and webbing for IS. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the radial tapes l2 preferably have extensions 20 for attachment to the supporting cord 2|. The intersectingradial and circumferential tapes may be reinforced by bar tacks extending through the intersections, this being particularly desirable at the intersections of the tapes I 2 with the tapes l5.

in the manufacture of the parachute the preferred order of procedure is as follows. The radial edges of the segments of all the sections are first secured together with the radial tapes l2. Then the circumferential tapes are applied over the radial tapes. While the overlapping edges of the various parts may be secured together and to the tapes with waterproof cement, as illustrated in the drawing they are preferably secured together by stitching. By constructing a paper parachute as above described it may be dropped with a much heavier load without being damaged by the shock of opening, the air escaping through the central opening H and through the open- mesh sections 4 and 5 so that the drop is checked gradually instead of abruptly.

As shown in Fig. 2 the segments may be folded back and forth accordion fashion and, if desired, the folded segments may be folded lengthwise at the open-mesh sections, thereby forming a compact bundle.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A parachute comprising an approximately hemispheroidal canopy having a plurality of circumferential sections of crepe paper and a circumferential section of open mesh fabric interposed between the crepe paper sections, the ratio of the open mesh material to crepe paper being hi h enough substantially to vent the canopy, each paper section consisting of a plurality of expansible segments having their creping extending radially of said canopy, and a plurality of tapes extending radially and circumferentially of said canopy, said tapes being secured to the margins of said paper segments.

2. A parachute comprising an approximately hemispheroidal canopy having a plurality of circumferential sections of crepe paper and a circumferential section of open mesh fabric interposed between the crepe paper sections, the ratio of the open mesh material to crepe paper being high enough substantially to vent the canopy, each paper section consisting of a plurality of expansible segments having their creping extending radially of said canopy, the adjacent radial margins of said segments being bent into abutting relationship with each other, and a plurality of tapes extending radially and circumferentially of said canopy, the radial tapes being secured to the abutting margins of said segments and extending continuously across the open mesh material.

3. A parachute comprising an approximately hemispheroidal canopy having a plurality of circumferential sections of crepe paper and a circumferential section of open mesh fabric interposed between the crepe paper sections, the ratio of the open mesh material to crepe paper being high enough substantially to vent the canopy, each paper section consisting of a plurality of expansible segments having their creping extending radially of said canopy, each fabric section consisting of a continuous length of material, and a plurality of tapes extending radially and circumferentially of said canopy, said tapes being secured together at their crossing points, the radial tapes being secured to the radial marginal portions of said paper sections and the circumferential tapes being secured to the circumferential marginal portions of both the open mesh and crepe paper sections.

4. A parachute comprising an approximately hemispheroidal canopy having a plurality of circumferential sections of crepe paper and a circumferential section of open mesh fabric interposed between the crepe paper sections, the ratio of the open mesh material to crepe paper being high enough substantially to vent the canopy, each paper section consisting of a plurality of expansible segments having their creping extending radially of said canopy, the adjacent radial margins of said segments being bent into abutting relation with each other and their circumferentially extending margins overlapping the margins of said open mesh section, and a plurality of tapes extending radially and circumferentially of said canopy, the radial tapes being secured to the abutting margins of said paper seg ments and the circumferential tapes being secured to the overlapping portions of the crepe paper and open mesh sections.

5. A parachute comprising an approximately hemispheroidal canopy having a plurality of circumferential sections of crepe paper and a circumferential section of open mesh fabric interposed between the crepe paper sections, the ratio of the open mesh material to crepe paper being high enough substantially to Vent the canopy, each paper section consisting of a plurality of expansible segments having their creping extending radially of said canopy, and a plurality of tapes extending radially and circumferentially of said canopy, said tapes being secured to the margins of said paper segments, and a plurality of shroud lines secured to the outer end portions of the radial tapes.

DANA B. HASTINGS.

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