Excessive deceleration forces experienced during high
speed deployment of parachute systems can cause
damage to the payload and the canopy fabric.
Conventional reefing lines offer limited relief by
temporarily restricting canopy inflation and
limiting the peak deceleration load. However, the
open-loop control provided by existing reefing
devices restricts their use to a specific set of
deployment conditions. The sensing, processing, and
actuation which are characteristic of adaptive
structures form the basis of three concepts for
active control of parachute inflation. These active
control concepts are incorporated into a computer
simulation of parachute inflation. Initial
investigations indicate that these concepts promise
enhanced performance as compared to conventional
techniques for a nominal release. Furthermore, the
ability of each controller to adapt to off-nominal
release conditions is examined.