Mechanical properties of ribbon parachute fabrics for cluster submunitions

An attempt has been made to study the load-extension behaviour of the fabric for cluster submunitions. The effect of warp density and fibre type on the ribbon fabric performance using strip tensile and tearing test data has been studied and important points for the design of submunition parachutes highlighted. Four different samples were manufactured using Spectra® and polyester fibres with three different weave types, two of which were derivatives of plain weave and the last one was regular plain weave. ANOVA was also performed for significance level of the test results. It is found that as the warp density increases at core-zone of the fabric, the breaking load and Young's modulus increase for strip tensile testing. However, the effect of weave type is found to be insignificant for tear test.