They even offer a carbon-fiber air launcher for those racers where weight is a major concern. Mounting the parachute system on the rear of the vehicle is a critical part of the installation.
In addition, the ideal anchor point is centered on the car left to right and should be at the center of the mass of the rear of the car. Stroud recommends somewhere through the crankshaft or camshaft centerline on a door car. Taking care of your parachute properly is also very important to its lifespan.
Contrary to what you might think, the faster you go, the smaller the parachute is. Over time, the parachute becomes compressed within the pack and can fail to deploy properly, even though the spring or air launcher has been activated. It needs to be stored in a dry location, and they also recommend repacking the parachute at the track, not at home.
Note when packing the parachute, the flap opposite the flap opposite the ripcord is the last to be loaded into the assembly. This allows the cord to pull against the loop instead of in the same direction. The parachute can be subject to rot if it stays packed all the time. Regardless of how you wash it, it must be air-dried. Try to keep it out of the sun as much as possible — the material can deteriorate otherwise.
Left Our parachutes are installed at the recommended degree angle to help them deploy up into the airstream. Right We also built a mount to make sure the 'chutes are up and out from under the spoiler in addition to separating them slightly for ease of packing while at the track. The parachute pack should be angled at degrees upwards. This allows it to catch the air upon release and deploy properly using the incoming air flow.
Mount the bracket in the center from left to right. As for the height, a good rule of thumb is to mount it straight to the crankshaft center line. Mounting a parachute should always be done by a professional chassis builder. The general rule is to mount it to the chassis at the crankshaft centerline. Having the parachute perfectly centered from left to right, as well as vertically centered in the rear, would provide the safest operation.
The parachute pack should be at degrees from the horizontal line, this allows it to get in contact with the air coming through. It has to go back behind the spoiler. The reason I decided to research and experiment on parachute mounting is due to an accident I saw at Bonneville Speedweek. I was working in the timing tower when I saw a Triumph GT6 deploy its parachute and raise the rear wheels off the ground.
The nose quickly dug into the ground and the car flipped over onto its top. My father had, what I believed to be, a much less extreme form of the same issue. Under parachute deployment, his Acura RSX would become very twitchy, contributing to at least one spin.
Two factors helped fix his problem: first, he started accelerating through parachute deployment, and a few seconds after it hit. This helped with control of the vehicle. Secondly, he raised the mounting point of the parachute up.
These two incidents formed my initial theory behind parachute deployment. Basic physics knowledge will tell you that forces act through the center of gravity of a vehicle. And intuitively, I would tell that the center of gravity on these vehicles was much higher than the pull points. I decided to test this theory. I designed and had a friend fabricate a variable chute mount point device, which allowed me to test mounting heights ranging from 8in to 36in off the ground.
I also installed ride height sensors on the front and rear suspension so I could gather data about weight transfer as the car drove. There was also an accelerometer in the car measuring G force. Both cars seen in the video are fitted with parachutes. However, the red Chevelle SS encountered a parachute failure after crossing the line. Thankfully, there was a gravel trap along with a catch net at the end of the drag strip rather than a solid brick wall. This allowed the driver to easily walk away from the crash, which could have ended worse.
While the driver did use the brakes, you can see in the video that they were not enough. In fact, you can even see the brakes glowing bright orange right before the crash. In fact, the cars look more like custom tube chassis drag cars fitted with a body shell on top than a modified road car. It is ideal for cars that do not have an onboard air system. For those cars that have onboard air, or wish to, then the Stroud pneumatic chute launcher is ideal!
It is lighter and easier to use than the spring launcher. Both systems work equally well and the parachute does not know the difference. If weight is a problem, then the new carbon fiber air launcher is for you. All Stroud chute launchers come complete with all required mounting and operational equipment.
Using other type chutes is VERY dangerous! Call Stroud Safety for your specific needs. Stroud chutes are specifically designed based on vehicle weight and speed.
Stroud recommends that customers consult a qualified technician to confirm the size required for their particular specifications. Use the following charts to help determine what your drag chute needs are going to be.
0コメント