Stress and Shape Analysis of a Paraglider Wing

A combined aerodynamic-structural analysis is made which is based on the assumption that the sail is flexible and has freedom to take the shape which the aerodynamic pressure and the internal stresses dictate. Numerical results were obtained for Newtonian impact aerodynamic theory and were compared with published results obtained for a rigid idealization of the paraglider wing. It was found that the assumed rigid idealization did not approximate the shape of a flexible wing well and led to significant errors in the lift and drag forces and the lift-to-drag ratio. The new calculations provide a basis for design of paragliders for hypersonic flight.