LUNA INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A12-052

Description

During T-11 personnel parachute deployment, nylon canopy fabric is dragged across suspension lines and other parachute materials at high speeds, resulting in frictional heat damage. High strength cotton is used in sleeves, suspension stow line loops, deployment bags and as barrier fabrics between nylon webbings due to its low friction and heat buffering properties. Cotton yarn production and textile manufacturing in the US is decreasing due to the shift in textile manufacturing to Asia. The ability to purchase high strength cotton within the US, thereby maintaining Berry Amendment compliance, is becoming more difficult. There is a critical need for the Army to find an alternative domestically produced fabric that can perform like cotton as energy-absorbing buffers to protect the parachute canopies from damage during deployment. To meet the Army need, Luna has developed an inexpensive, durable finish that reduces the coefficient of friction of high strength commercial fabrics by greater than 50%, resulting in decreased frictional heating of parachute materials by over 60C in high friction simulated parachute deployment testing. These prospective replacement fabrics surpass the friction buffering capacity of the currently approved T-11 parachute buffer fabrics, eliminating the need for the purchase of foreign produced cotton.