[JoeF]

Well, another morning:
A solution might come from the following: Recall the X hinge at the apex bottom of the V spreader subassembly. Consider letting the X hinge become a W-M hinge: by that I mean: sew two lines of straight seam on two layers of material:

WMhinge.jpg (14.05 KiB) Viewed 839 times

The left flaps are bonded to the bottom of one spreader flat; the other right flaps of the W-M hinge are bonded to the bottom of the other spreader flat.
If the W-M hinge is flexible material, then a hinge results allowing coiling the spreader subassembly of a spar or beam. The cavity may allow the insertion of a Dyneema cord for tension member of the spar. But, moreso, the hinge material may be chosen so that the hinge material becomes the tension member of the spar. This all might remove the challenge mentioned in the above prior post of yesterday.

Furthering: KP-QP rigging of the HG may pretense the spar recently being developed. However, some integrated pretension is probably going to be a good thing to address handling, negative flight loads, and firming the shape of the beam or spar prior to finishing full KP-QP rigging. So, a pre-tensioning tension line may be a kind of continuation of the main lower spar tension line.

SparWithPretensionAndHoops.jpg (55.43 KiB) Viewed 838 times

The compression member of the spar may be segmented for tiny packing.

An avenue to explore: how might the hoops play a part in the spreader subassembly while giving some body to airfoil formation while still giving pretension to the segmented compression subassembly? It looks like there is some opportunity herein.

HoopToSpreaderTaskOpportunities.jpg (23.69 KiB) Viewed 836 times

[JoeF]

Generics for theme:
Tiny-Packing of HGs
Car-trunkable HGs
Car-back-seatable HGs
City-busable HGs
Hitch-hikable HGs
Trekakable HGs

... tiny packing
... lower-than-common empty weight
Note: The thread's title indicates a maximum-of-5-ft theme. We will not hold back any wing project that goes shorter than that maximum. One day someone might fly well with a two-packed HG that is with a maximum length of one meter or less. Time will tell. Designers in the movement have a huge body of arts, crafts, new materials with which to work. Top minds may be at work to come up with solutions for tiny packing some HGs. Recall that the theme does not require super performance; rather, early solutions may have just-satisfactory performance and safety for very conservative hang gliding conditions.

Chardon1922.jpg (33.33 KiB) Viewed 818 times

[JoeF]

A nuance maybe not given enough emphasis concerns empty weight of a tiny-packed HG fitting this topic. Some first warnings against putting energy into the design project underlined that "couplings" would add weight ending in a tiny-packed HG heavier than what one may have been accustomed having. Such assumption blanketing the movement need not stick; an aim for lower-than-customary empty weight may stream through the movement, couplers or not couplers. Successful results may or may not be heavy on couplers. And choice of materials and special choices among macro options may well give a tiny pack as well as an empty weight that is less than what one has been experiencing. Note that it is not required to match flight experiences of one's history; some acceptance of modified flight sessions might point early fresh flying experiences. Having a tiny-packed HG that is also pleasant to lift when toting was in my vision when designing this topic. But both tiny-packed heavy and tiny-packed pleasantly lighter-than-customary are welcome players in the success arena. Please report challenges, problems, failures, and successes. Learning from all efforts seems to be part of the program.

[JoeF]

The ache in my heart is to have available to most humans a HG of low mass pack set enabling easy tote of such pack set (hike, bicycle, city buses, car trunks, car back seat) for experiencing flight. It is a joy to be part of the coming HG era where such easy tote becomes available to more humans. There will be clever people playing a part in such coming era. Small and large design contributions will finally result in some effective HG designs meeting the need.

[JoeF]

We have today a set of materials, call it B. Let a future set, say a material set knowable in 2030 year, call that set "A." With B some neat solutions are possible, I hold, for the topic's apparent vision. With A, some neater solutions will be possible, the holding would posit. No need to wait for A; may we find solutions near to today with the gift of B.

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I have with considerable search not found anything (yet) on a specific arrangement that has shown on my notes. The arrangement considers two flatish beams touching at their tips and encased in a thimble-like case or set of equivalent strings or tie stays. Then compress the ensemble one set of tips towards the other set of tips; the case or set of tie stays will then tense to hold the pre-buckling in place. Half bridges seem cousin to this. Captive arch comes to mind. But concentrate on the having of two sub beams cased making the macro beam of subject. The pre-buckling already sets the direction of the primary buckling. If the sub beams are broad, then the primary direction of the pre-buckling is likely to stay dominant during the compressing of the near-thimble shape. The compressing will cause an increase in the tension of the tie stays or case. Whether such macro beam could be used effectively for the current-thread's objective is yet to be shown. This type of macro beam is being explored in my shop. Controlled confined buckling under compression? Some near-cousin notes seem to show up in concrete beam-buckling controls.

TwoCasedStayed001.jpg (31.23 KiB) Viewed 719 times

I would be glad to receive any prior-art papers dealing with what I have described. Thanks in advance

Could such macro-beam complex be more efficient than other beams in compression made with the same mass for length sake?

Elementally, see scissor jacks.

[JoeF]

The movement for tiny packing of a HG fitting the thread's theme/topic may address "sail solutions" fitting the cause.
====================================================================================================
Sail Solutions
This thread in our forum is open to anyone's "sail solutions" or offers of such solutions to fit the theme.
Some offers might emphasize a lowering of mass of a HG's sail, or the tote volume of the sail. Or both.
An emphasis might wrestle with non-wrinkle tote formats. Sail costs, sail-handling logistics, sail-modable quotient, etc. are parameters that might interest a designer. Aerodynamic performance will be important, but reaching max L/D might be sacrificed to obtain other system qualities.
===================================================

Here is one direction sketched for today by Kite Lab, Los Angeles (a child of Self-Soar Association):
Sewn Zippered Sail Sections ( SZSS)
Have the HG's sail system consist of a good numbered sections of sail that are zippered one section to the other. Sew the zippers onto some of the edges of sail segments. Leave some of the edges of some sail sections with hook-and-loop parts and some edges simply hemmed or left without hem, but perhaps with some stiffening material. At packing ant toting, the sail segments might be stacked, might be worn on the pilot's body, might wrap other HG parts, might become part of a hat or helmet, ... The sectioning or segmenting zippered system might allow a neat modification capability allowing sail modifications both in shape, size, coloring, material choice, repair, ... Sail sections in packing may be placed in one or two subpacks. And sail sections might tuck into cavities that otherwise would be empty-volume costing.
Want to adjust the aerodynamics of the macro sail? Modify one or two sections only, perhaps! Want to double-skin a section of the sail to try out a stuffer or other change in the shape of the HG? Other facilitations may be envisioned by using the SZSS system.

[JoeF]

Some designers in this tiny-pack-HG movement may struggle with choosing between telescopic circular cross-section tubes and another option of tapered angle-beam spar segments. Which choice is most efficient for pack volume? Other aspects may play in the choosing: Repair? Compression-keeping mechanism? Costs? Supply? Torsion handling?

[JoeF]

An optional direction for the theme of "one-meter" deals:
Attached is this morning's offer of a HG that would be toted in two subpacks, one perhaps on back and one in hand. Or both in hand. But one subpack could roll by pulling or towing. Hoops, coilable compression plates (two or three per full-span spar), stand-offs, tension members, line sets, queen posts, kingpost, keel parts, high hat subassembly, rib sets, sail segments, control line between the two queen posts, compressible foam fill, sail segments.

OptionRollableCoilableScan_20230224.jpg (232.12 KiB) Viewed 669 times

PERHAPS click image for it to show full size or full content...

[dhmartens]

I had a dream last night and a 5 foot inflatable hang glider with an aluminum interior telescopic frame became available.
Pumping the air out retracted the telecscopic frame. A simular device was introduced with a pterodactyl frame. I saw an interview with Elon Musk and he said he had no support with his car company because all car companies since 1920 had bankrupted so he decided reinvent all aspects of its manufacture.

[Craig Muhonen]

I had this idea Joe, to go along with the 5' packed movement, which has gained 135,000 views in 7 years on US Hawks

It's a portable, wind powered training device and "video machine",

wind machine and HG sim.png (143.78 KiB) Viewed 625 times

where the 5' packed movement, and HG clubs in general, could also become an ongoing video platform (the LLC or a blog) on to itself.
There is so much data scattered around.

Sky divers have a vertical wind machine, Hang Gliders need a horizontal one.

This video machine could also be set up on windy days, without the need for blowers, and as a side light,
interview people who are interested in the whole PG, HG thing, and which wing to choose to put your life under.

There was a time when John Heiney wanted to build a HG wind simulator with video.
He did do "Off and ON", which is one of the best HG training videos, and his music choices are masterful.
He said that if he built one, "they would come", but no time or money.

people will ask, "what is this hang glider for"?
you can say, "come on, strap in and we'll make a cool video together, and who knows.