Decelerator Internal Structure Redirecting Airflow for Contraflow Thrust
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing decelerators, such as parachutes, often rely solely on passive drag to slow down payloads traveling at high speeds or heavy payloads during planetary entry, descent, and landing, which is insufficient for safe delivery, especially when increased surface area or drag is needed.
Innovation Solution
A decelerator with an internal structure that redirects incoming air in a contraflow direction, creating additional drag and a reactive thrust force to enhance deceleration, comprising a first canopy, a second canopy, and a network of tubes or panel members that direct air out of the decelerator to increase drag without requiring increased surface area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If passive drag force alone is used for deceleration, then the decelerator structure remains simple, but the deceleration capability is insufficient for high-speed or heavy payloads
Solution Approach 1:
The decelerator is divided into multiple functional components: a first canopy for initial deceleration, a second canopy for additional drag, and an internal structure with tubes or panel members for active air redirection. This segmentation allows each component to contribute differently to the overall deceleration, combining passive drag with active contraflow mechanisms to achieve higher deceleration forces without requiring a single oversized structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes pneumatic principles by incorporating an internal structure with tubes or panel members that redirect air flow through the decelerator. This active air management system creates contraflow emission that generates additional reactive thrust force, transforming the decelerator from a passive drag device into an active pneumatic system that can control and enhance deceleration forces dynamically.
2Force
If increased surface area is used to increase drag, then deceleration capability improves, but the decelerator size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the operational parameters of air flow within the decelerator by introducing an internal redirection structure. Instead of relying solely on increased surface area, the system modifies the velocity and direction parameters of air flow through the tubes or panel members, creating high-speed contraflow emission that generates reactive thrust. This parameter change allows achieving higher deceleration forces without proportionally increasing canopy surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a third dimension to drag generation by incorporating the internal air redirection structure that operates within the volume enclosed by the canopies. This internal dimension allows the system to generate contraflow thrust independently of the external canopy surface area, effectively decoupling deceleration capability from physical size constraints.
3Productivity
If rapid deceleration is achieved through active air redirection, then deceleration efficiency improves, but the internal structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal structure serving as air redirection tubes or panel members performs multiple functions simultaneously: it redirects air flow to create contraflow, provides structural support between the two canopies, and defines the internal volume for air management. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity while achieving rapid deceleration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The decelerator achieves more rapid and efficient payload deceleration by combining drag from the decelerator's interface with incoming air and the reactive thrust force from contraflow air emission, effectively handling high-speed and heavy payloads during various aerospace and terrestrial applications.
Implementation Method 1
The internal structure, as indicated above, is also configured to direct air received within the interior volume out of the decelerator in a contraflow direction, which, in turn, causes a reactive thrust force to be applied to the decelerator
Implementation Method 2
decelerators often include a canopy, which, when deployed, fills with air to create drag and retards subsequent movement of the decelerator
Data Source
AI summary
A decelerator for decelerating an attached payload includes a first canopy, a second canopy, and an internal structure for redirecting air entering the decelerator out of the decelerator and in a contraflow direction, which is cognate to the direction of travel. The first canopy defines an interior volume and includes a first opening for receiving a flow of air into the interior volume and a second opening for permitting received air to travel out of the interior volume. The second canopy is then positioned over the second opening, and the internal structure extends at least partially through the interior volume and interconnects the first canopy and the second canopy. Air within the internal structure is directed out of the decelerator in the contraflow direction. The internal structure can be constructed of a plurality of venturi tubes to increase the velocity at which air is emitted from the decelerator.