Shape of the parachute canopy

The article presents new equations of equilibrium of an axisymmetric parachute canopy generalizing Kh. A. Rakhmatulin's well-known equations. The equations take the biaxial nature of the state of stress near the pole of the canopy into account, and this leads to a finite value of the tension of the tissue and to a finite value of the radius of curvature at the pole.Translated from Dinamicheskie Sistemy, No. 5, pp. 21–25, 1986.