US2785479A

US2785479A - Parachute drying apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2785479A
Application number: US362703A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kiefer Erich
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-04-28
Filing date: 1953-06-19
Publication date: 1957-03-19
Anticipated expiration: 1974-03-19

Description

March 19, 1957 E. KIEFER 2,785,479

PARACHUTE DRYING APPARATUS Filed June 19, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 9 n n n mvarme; ERICH KIEFER March 19, 1957 E. KlEFER PARACHUTE DRYING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 19, 1953 IN VEIITOR ER/cH If: EFER 6 Y.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 E. KIEFER PARACHUTE DRYING APPARATUS March 19, 1957 Filed June 19, 1953 IN VIYTURI ERICH ITIEFER \LPAAR g M w A u i T A T .4. -m y mn H V. N Q l/ A h T 4: irtl I. W// E $2 a E E 9 wd Eli States The present invention relates to a method of drying parachutes by means of a current of hot air, and to an apparatus for carrying out such method.

t is the primary object of the invention to devise a method of drying parachutes more quickly and economically than by the known methods, and to carry out such method within a relatively small space.

it is another object of the invention to devise a method of drying parachutes by directing a hot air current in such a manner that the hardest drying parts of the parachute are subjected to a stronger drying action than the more easily drying parts.

A feature of the invention resides in directing a hot air current upon a suspended parachute in such a manner that both sides thereof are dried, thus reducing the time as well as the amount of heat required for drying the entire parachute.

Another feature of the invention resides in a method and an apparatus for suspending a parachute by its upper end, securing the hardest drying parts of the parachute at a point near such upper end, and passing a hot air current through the upper center hole of the parachute past such hardest drying parts and then first along the inside and thereafter along the outside of the parachute.

These objects, features and advantages of the present invention are obtained by connecting the parachute at its upper end to the air current so that the hot dry air flows through the center hole of the parachute to the inside and outside thereof. In order to dry the hardest drying parts, i. c. the harness and suspension cords, more quickly and thoroughly, they are preferably placed near the entrance of the air current where it is driest, that is, inside the parachute near the center hole thereof. Such heating and drying of the parachute from both sides reduces the drying time considerably and requires less heat and, if an electric heating system is used, less electric current.

Such fast but safe drying is preferably carried out by directing the dry air current through the upper center hole of the suspended parachute past the harness, suspension cords, etc., and down along the inside of the parachute until it reaches its lower end, and by then reversing.

the direction of the current so that it will flow upwardly along the outer surface of the parachute to one or more openings, the size of which determines the velocity of the air current in the drying chamber.

For drying a larger series of parachutes in a continuous operation, the invention provides suspension devices secured on carriages so as to roll along a track or rails through a drying channel and separated within individual chambers which are suspended from the carriages so as to move therewith. The carriages, chambers, and parachutes therein are then moved in a series of steps from one air current connection to another and in a general direction opposite to that of the current, so as to provide successive drying stages in the drying channel.

In order to carry out such object, as many air current connections are preferably provided one behind the other in each of a series of adjacent drying channels as there V are parachutes moving in intermittent motion through the channels. The individual moving chambers within which the parachutes are suspended are preferably formed simply by providing a single vertical wall on each suspension device, thus sealing oif one parachute from the other. After passing the last drying stage and reaching the end or the respective drying channel, the completely dry parachutes are removed from the suspension devices and carriages which then automatically return to the starting or loading position either through an adjacent channel or a common channel provided in the middle between several drying channels.

An apparatus for carrying out the above mentioned method preferably consists of several, for example, four, drying chambers within each channel for simultaneously drying four parachutes in each chamber. Each drying chamber may be connected to a separate fan which sucks the air either from the outside or from the: adjacent chambet and distributes it evenly to the parachutes in that chamber.

Further objects, features, and advantages will appear from the following description and the: accompanying drawings of one embodiment of the invention in which the direction of movement of the hot air current and of the respective parts of the apparatus is indicated by arrows, and in which Fig. 1 shows a partial side view of a drying channel according to the invention with the forward side wall broken away to show the inside of the channel as well as the loading position;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section through one complete channel to show the passage of hot air in a direction generally opposite to the movement of the parachutes;

Fig. 3 shows a drying stage or chamber of one channel in a side view similar to that shown in Fig. 1;

Fi 4 is a horizontal section through the drying stage or chamber taken along line lV-lV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of the drying apparatus according to the invention in connection with a washing apparatus.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, numeral 1 indicates a parachute holding and suspension device in which a parachute 2 is suspended and secured by means of a ring 3 slid from below into the parachute, a gripping mechanism 4, and a motor-driven pulley 5. The suspension device 1 carries at its left side a transverse vertical wall 6 which extends almost to the ground and may consist of sheet metal or other suitable material. The suspension device 1 is supported on a carriage 7 which runs on rails 8. Fig. 1 shows two such suspension devices l, the left of which is being loaded outside of the drying channel 9, while the right suspension device, which has already been provided with'a parachute, has already passed into the first drying stage of channel 9 where it is connected to a hot air conduit 10.

The suspended parachute 2 on the right side of Fig. 1 shows the hardest drying parts thereof, i. e. the harness and suspension cords ll, drawn up to a point immediately below the entrance of the hot air into the parachute. Fig. 1 also shows at the front of channel 9 and above left, so as to emerge from stage 16 in a completely dry Patented Mar. 19, 1957,

assume condition; The hot air current, on the other hand, flows in a general direction from the right to the left, that is, countercurrentwise to the direction of movement of the parachutes, as indicated by arrows 17. The air current may either by provided for a series of

stages

13, 14, 15, 16, as shown in Fig. 2, or each stage may have its own fan, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In Fig. 2, the air current is sucked up either from the previous stage or from, the. outside, and blown through conduits (not shown) into the upper central hole of the individual parachutes in chamber 16, then downwardly along the inner surfaces of the parachutes, and then upwardly along their outer surfaces. The air current then flows through the aperture to the next stage 15, again through the center hole of the parachutes first to the inside and then the outside thereof, and then to the exit openingof that stage. It thus proceeds through the remaining stages until it emerges through the final exit 18 to the outer atmosphere. Before being blown into the individual stages, the air may first be passed through a suitable filter 19 and, if necessary, a condenser 20, the fan 21, and a suitable heater 22.

The preferred manner of conducting the air current within one drying stage is shown more in. detail in Figs. 3 and 4. The hot air entering the drying stage 14 from the previous stage 15 through an aperture 23 is first sucked up by the fan 21, which is separately provided in each stage, and is then blown thereby through

conduits

24, 25, and 26 into the four suspension devices 1 which are then located in such drying stage. From each suspension device 1 the air current then flows from above into the upper center hole of the parachute 2 and then downwardly along the inside thereof until at the bottom itsdirection is reversed so that it flows upwardly along the outer surface of the parachute, then through the perforations of a sieve 27 towardthe next drying stage 13. The emerging air current is prevented from mixing with thehot air previously admitted into the same stage by a separating wall 28, along the lower surface of which it flows into the adjacent drying stage 13 through an aperture 23'. While the hot air current thus flows from the right'toward the left through the individual drying stages, the parachutes on the suspension devices 1 pass at the same time in an intermittent movement in the direction of arrows 29 from the left toward the right through the same respective drying stages, and, while stopping temporarily in each stage, each suspension device 1 is connected to the respective conduit 26. As previously indicated, the fan 21 in each stage may be provided with a filter, a condenser, and a suitable heater, or any of these means.

Fig. 5 shows diagrammatically the entire arrangement of a parachute drying and washing system accordingto the invention. It comprises two groups of four adjacent drying channels 9 and a central channel 30 separatiug the two groups. In front of. each drying channel is awashing apparatus which may, for example, consist offour washing machines 31 and four spin driers 32 for pro-drying the parachutes after they have been laundered. The thickly drawn arrows 33 indicate the direction of movementof the parachutes within the entire system, while the thinner arrows 34 indicate the direction of movement of the suspension devices within the drying apparatus. The drawing also shows that the suspension devices, after passing through the respective channels 9 and after the dried parachutes have been removed therefrom, are returned through one central channel 30 to the loading position 35 where a new series of wet or spin-dried parachutes may be suspended in the suspension devices 1.

A great advantage of the new drying method and apparatus resides in the fact that it does not require any additional handlingor movement of the parachutes, .and that it therefore requires only a very few operatorsv to' service the entire apparatus. Also,- since each individual own hot air plant which may be run independent of those" of the other channels, one or several chambers may be taken out of operation, depending upon the number of parachutes to be dried.

The present invention is not limited to the particular embodiment shown in the drawings. For example, the manner of conducting the air current as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be of different design, and the invention as a whole includes all drying methods and drying apparatus in which a parachute is connected at its upper end to a hot air current so that it flows through the center hole of the parachute along the inside and outside thereof, or vice versa, while the hardest drying parts of the parachute, including the harness, are preferable placed at a point where the drying action of the air current is the strongest.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An apparatus for drying parachutes comprising a drying chamber, means for suspending a parachute in said chamber and for securing it about its center hole, means for passing an air current through the center hole downwardly along the inner surface, and guide means for directing the air upwardly along the outer surface of the parachute.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further com prising means for securing the harness and suspension cords of the parachute near the center hole thereof.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising meansfor withdrawing the air current from said chamber and for controlling its velocity in said chamber.

4. In an apparatus for drying a parachute having a center hole, in combination, suspension means for grasping the parachute about its center hole and suspending the parachute in such a manner that it assumes a tubular configuration; blower means including a nozzle member in alignment with the center hole of the suspended parachute for passing a drying medium through the center hole downwardly along the inner surface of the suspended parachute; and flow guide means arranged exteriorly of the suspended parachute for reversing the direction of flow of the drying medium after the same leaves the bottom of the suspended parachute so as to cause the drying medium to flow upwardly along the outer surface of the parachute.

5. In an apparatus for drying a parachute having a center hole, in combination, means forming a drying chamber having a floor and vertical side wall means extending substantially to said floor; suspension means for grasping the parachute about its center hole and sus pending the parachute within said drying chamber in such a manner that the center hole is at the top of said drying chamber, that the parachute assumes a tubular configuration with the parachute being spaced from said side wall means, and that the bottom of the parachute is spaced from said floor; and blower means including a nozzle member in alignment with the center hole of the suspended parachute for passing a drying medium through the center hole downwardly along the inner surface of the parachute, whereby the drying medium, after issuing through the bottom of the suspended parachute, will be deflected by said floor of said drying chamber and be constrained to flow upwardly between the suspended parachute and said side wall means, thereby flowing along the outer surface of the suspended parachute.

6. An apparatus for drying parachutes each of which has a center hole, comprising,.in combination, a drying channel; means forming together with said drying channel a series of adjacent drying chambers each of which is movable in the direction of said drying channel, said means and said drying channel being so constructed and arranged as to have a floor and vertical side wall means extending substantially to said floor; suspension means associated with each of saiddrying chambers for grasp ing a parachute about its center hole and suspendingthe' avsawo 5 parachute in each respective drying chamber in such a manner that the center hole is at the top of the drying chamber, that the parachute assume a tubular configuration with the parachute being spaced from said side wall means, and that the bottom of the parachute is spaced from said floor; blower means including a nozzle member arranged along said drying channel and communicating with the center hole of a suspended parachute while the respective drying chamber is in alignment with said nozzle member for passing a drying medium through the center hole downwardly along the inner surface of the parachute, whereby the drying medium, after issuing through the bottom of the suspended parachute, will be deflected by said floor of said 15 thereby flowing along the outer surface of the suspended parachute, and moving means for moving said drying chambers, together with the parachutes suspended therein, along said drying channel past said nozzle member in a step-wise manner, whereby said drying chambers may be successively aligned with said nozzle member so that the latter may, for predetermined periods, be placed in communication with successive parachutes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,653,761 Dewhurst Dec. 27, 1927 2,000,507 Bromfield May 7, 1935 2,532,494 Hensler Dec. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 358,263 Great Britain Apr. 22, 1931