Example Problem - Pressure Drag (4)
Channel: Thermofluids
Date: 18/04/2020

"As solders get bigger and packs get heavier, the average load of an army parachutist increases. The standard-issue 28-ft-diameter nylon parachute (used since silk was ‘difficult to import’ from Japan in the 1930’s…) may descend too fast for safety.

The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering (NSRDEC) team claims to have developed a higher-drag, less-porous chute of the same diameter which can maintain a sea-level descent speed of 16 ft/s with a 400 lbf load (trooper plus pack).

Determine the following:
(a) What is the coefficient of drag of this new chute design?
(b) How fast would the standard-issue chute descend at sea-level with a 400 lbf load?"

PDF of solution: https://sdsu.box.com/s/if1qnn6n8xe16arjjof6dvpwdbmnh576