> Design and Construction > Canopy Design > Materials

The materials used in construction have changed over the last several years. This has resulted in better performance and durability. The use of incorrect materials can have a detrimental effect on the opening, flying, and landing characteristics of the parachute. The growth in popularity of the ram-air canopies in the 1970s required new fabrics for the designs to function. Very low permeability fabric was necessary for the canopy to remain inflated and maintain the aerodynamic airfoil shape. To reduce the drag created by the suspension lines, newer lightweight, and high-strength materials were used. First Dacron®, followed by Kevlar®, and now Spectra® and Vectran®. While reducing the line bulk and drag, these materials have introduced newer problems into the designs. The ultra-low permeability fabrics inflate faster, and have almost zero stretch. As a result, the opening forces nincrease considerably. These effects have contributed to newer packing and deployment methods to reduce the loads on the parachutist and harness. These, in turn, affect the design of the container systems. Using this as an example, the rigger can see the chain of cause and effect in the design process. Complete coverage of materials is presented in chapter 3 of this handbook.