Protecting parachutes

That depends on how much wadding you used, what kind it was, how much space is available for wadding, etc. Your current wadding may be inefficient, or you may simply need to use more of it.

Lettuce (the "greenleaf" or "redleaf" type) makes a great wadding especially if you don't have a lot of room. It doesn't take much, and is damp so it extinguishes burning particles and cools hot gases before they reach the chute.

There are alternates to wadding, such as using a piston or a baffle. Pistons push the chute out while keeping it separate from the hot gas and particles. Baffles filter out particles and cool the gas somewhat.

Use Nomex chute protectors. Or use 'dog barf'; borate treated shredded celluose, available in huge bales as wall insulation from home centers.

Deployment bag.

I sent up a homemade rocket with a Teleflite G-75 motor and put plenty of wadding but my nylon chute still melted. Is there a way to better protect my chutes?

Try a "parachute cup"

I believe Tim VanMilligan describes this method in "Model Rocket Design and Construction."

No wadding needed, but the airframe should be larger than, say, 2.6 "

Gus

Yes and Yes.

From:

"A parachute deployment bag serves multiple purposes. "Protect the parachute from the ejection charge. "Bags are usually made of Nomex cloth.

"Allows the bridle and suspension lines to be pulled tight before the parachute opens, preventing a large "jerk" on the system when the parachute inflates.

"Allows the parachute to move away from the rocket before it opens, helping prevent it from becoming tangled with the bridle, nose cone, fins, etc.

Deployment bags should be used on all HPR vehicles. (IMHO). ;)

I've seen cases where the deployment bag _caused_ a deployment failure. The pilot chute was unable to pull the main out of the bag.

More correctly, the failure was caused by the person who packed the main. Properly packed and setup, the pilot 'chute is able to easily and freely pull the bag off of the main.

Wad it up and shove it in, and you're asking for trouble.

-Kevin

Thar's more 'n one way to skin a deployment bag. ;)

Strangest thing I ever saw was my son's Mini Magg come in flat with an unfurled chute. Ejection happened right on top, and the chute and rocket fell side by side. The nylon chute was rolled up just like it always had been and ole Newton played a trick on us.

steve

What did you expect from a guy named after a cookie? ; )

Randy

It's not a cookie, it's a cake! :)

I fold the shroud lines and use rubberbands to hold them in place for orderly deplayment... but they 'pop-off' as the lines are made taught.

Sorry, I forgot.

Randy

And fruit!