Plastic and elastic elongation behavior of selected Paragliding lines (German)

Abstract

The canopy of a paraglider is suspended by a lot of suspension lines. To minimize elongation, the latest available high tech fibers are used, commonly ultra high modulus Polyethylene and Aramid. These materials have a very good creep and elastic stretch resistance, but with the demand of more efficient wings the tolerances get smaller. Therefore the exact characteristics of the line types start to gain significance in paraglider development and manufacturing. On the one hand the elastic elongation has to be considered, on the other the creep, which occurs over time in the highly loaded lines, should be taken into account. As paragliders are exposed to all kinds of environmental influences during use, these factors have to be considered as well. Lines with low load tend to shrink over time when exposed to the environmental factors. To get an understanding of the line characteristics, several tests were conducted. As a first step only elongation is taken into account.

Nikolaus Kurcz

Textile Aeronautics Consultant

My research interests include technical textiles, especially parachutes and paragliders.