Nomex parachutes?

[kuririn]

Has anyone built a chute from Nomex or Aramid fabric? I'm thinking that instead of using a Nomex chute protector or wadding why not make the chute out of Nomex? Maybe with Kevlar thread for shroud lines. I imagine there are various weights or thicknesses of that fabric. Perhaps you could make a chute that's fire resistant but still lightweight. Thoughts?

 

[tim cubbedge]

Rocketman sells them.
https://www.the-rocketman.com/chutes.html

 

[rharshberger]

Finding very lightweight nomex might be the hard part.

 

[pnobile]

Top Flight Recovery makes them upon request. Up to 58" with Kevlar shroud lines.

Preston

 

[Handeman]

What I found, the light weight Nomex, still gets holes burned through it from ejection. If you go with heavy enough Nomex to not get burn holes, you don't save any weight over a light Nylon chute and heavy nomex protector.

I still use dog barf because it tends to be the lightest with the best efficiency, besides being the cheapest. YMMV

 

[kuririn]

Thanks to all for your insights. Very informative.

 

[mpitfield]

I just purchased a 24" Kevlar Rocketman drogue for a project in the works. I thought it was nomex but just checked and it is Kevlar. First impression, they are not built for packing. The material they use is not what I would characterize as light weight fabric. However this is not a problem for my project and I was warned about it before I purchased it.

As others stated, I am not sure that a light weight fabric is appropriate in the case of using a chute without heat protection. I am no expert on the fabrics available, but I did find out that the commercial options for this application are slim.