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SlashDog

Do darker colored canopies take more UV wear?

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I just have a common sense based query.I have never heard this mentioned. Would a black or dark purple canopy be more susceptible to UV wear than a white or yellow one? I am sure darker canopies would at least get warmer in the sunlight. Is this something to think about when purchasing or is this just silliness?

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Paraglider pilots tend to avoid fluorescent colours as they really do absorb UV (that is I suppose the point... ;)) - unless of course they're sponsored. :P

I've heard that darker colours have more of the silicone coating on them (which should protect the fabric), but since the darker colour may have a tendency to absorb more UV anyway, I don't know how the lifetimes compare.
--
BASE #1182
Muff #3573
PFI #52; UK WSI #13

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I don't know if this will answer your question or not.

I've never worried about UV damage to canopies. Generally speaking a ZP canopy will last far longer than most jumpers will last in the sport. It seems as though most canopies take far more wear simply from packing than from UV.

The biggest thing someone can do to protect their canopy from UV damage is to pack in a shady area.

ZP fabric is usually made of a product called "Solarmax" by Invista. It is designed from the start to be resistant to damage from UV. http://www.invista.com/prd_solarmax.shtml

_Am
__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

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I suspect it'd be the other way around in much the same way that melanin protects the skin the dye may protect the fabric but that's a guess.

It's the UV that causes most damage although I've heard of wings being destroyed after geting baked in cars.

A rule of thumb for paragliders (and AFAIK the ZP nylon is similar in both), is a lifetime of 300 hours of sunlight UV exposure. So yep, pack in the shade etc. I wouldn't worry about selecting my favorite canopy color.

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I've heard that darker colours have more of the silicone coating on them



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White canopies pack smaller because they have not die



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I've heard that darker colours have more of the silicone coating on them



Where do people come up with some of this shit.

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Paraglider pilots tend to avoid fluorescent colours as they really do absorb UV



The reason to avoid fluorescent colors is they fade from exposer to sunlight.
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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> Would a black or dark purple canopy be more susceptible to
>UV wear than a white or yellow one?

It is less susceptible. The dark pigments block some of the UV light, so the interior of the fabric is better protected.

>I am sure darker canopies would at least get warmer in the sunlight.

Heat is not a big factor in nylon degradation (at least compared to UV.)

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Heat is not a big factor in nylon degradation (at least compared to UV.)






Unless that heat is from a hot knife that a canopy was accidently dropped on, been there done that!

:([:/]Mick.



Do you remember the name of the guy that browed Fisby's hot knife to cut crossports in his Unit and crossported the top skin?
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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Heat is not a big factor in nylon degradation (at least compared to UV.)






Unless that heat is from a hot knife that a canopy was accidently dropped on, been there done that!

:([:/]Mick.



Do you remember the name of the guy that browed Fisby's hot knife to cut crossports in his Unit and crossported the top skin?





No, I don't but I know he wasn't the only one to do that!! Many people just didn't understand that flat packing a canopy didn't mean all the cell walls just magicly aligned themselves when laid out for packing. Big oops- cross porting through the cell walls, top skin amd bottom skin at the same time, TFB but that's how we learn in't it?


Mick.

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Sparky,
I used to work for a Textile Dyeing plant many, many, moons ago.

As far as natural material (white) vs. Dyed material, the dyed material will have more volume and weight.

Hence, more pack volume.

Also darker pigments will tend to have more weight than lighter colors.

The same principal applies to paint.


Fluorescent colors do degrade faster than other darker colors.

If you happen to have or run across a canopy from the early '90's that has a multitude of these type colors, try pull testing the different ones.

The fluoresecent ones (lighter colored) will fail at a lesser pull force that say darker colors.



Dark colors refract (turn away) some of the UV rays. This generates heat. This also why dark colored cars is warmer to the touch than say a white car.


A far as the "more silicone" issue; never heard that one!


BS,
MEL
Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

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Do you remember the name of the guy that browed Fisby's hot knife to cut crossports in his Unit and crossported the top skin?



That must have been painful. :)
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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Dark colors refract (turn away) some of the UV rays. This generates heat.


Why would this generate heat? Reflection prevents any energy from being absorbed?

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This also why dark colored cars is warmer to the touch than say a white car.


No. Dark cars are warmer because they absorb more light (thats why it's dark). The absorbed light energy turns into heat energy.

(Wherever the incoming light is UV or not is irrelevant.)

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Dyed material, the dyed material will have more volume and weight.

Hence, more pack volume.



And this can be measured in a sample as small as a 150 sq. ft. canopy? Outside of theory or the lab this is an urban myth that has been around since at least the early 70’s. I have seen jumpers order "white" reserves beliving it will make their rig smaller.:S

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If you happen to have or run across a canopy from the early '90's that has a multitude of these type colors, try pull testing the different ones.

The fluoresecent ones (lighter colored) will fail at a lesser pull force that say darker colors.



I have jumped florescent colored canopies (orange) since 1976 and have not found this to be true. While they do fade faster the integrity of the material does not seem to degrade any faster then the other colors in the canopy. Of course this was only a sample of 20+ canopies over a thirty year period so the conclusions might be skewed.

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Dark colors refract (turn away) some of the UV rays. This generates heat. This also why dark colored cars is warmer to the touch than say a white car.



When I was in school I was taught that dark colors absorb heat thus making the white car cooler. This is the first I have heard of dark colors generating heat by turning away the rays of the sun.


My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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Do you remember the name of the guy that browed Fisby's hot knife to cut crossports in his Unit and crossported the top skin?



That must have been painful. :)



Must have been, he cried for a week. :)
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dark colors refract (turn away) some of the UV rays. This generates heat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why would this generate heat? Reflection prevents any energy from being absorbed?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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This also why dark colored cars is warmer to the touch than say a white car.

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No. Dark cars are warmer because they absorb more light (thats why it's dark). The absorbed light energy turns into heat energy.

(Wherever the incoming light is UV or not is irrelevant.)



You are absolutely correct!


BS,
MEL
Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

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Sparky,
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In Reply To
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dyed material, the dyed material will have more volume and weight.

Hence, more pack volume.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


And this can be measured in a sample as small as a 150 sq. ft. canopy? Outside of theory or the lab this is an urban myth that has been around since at least the early 70’s. I have seen jumpers order "white" reserves beliving it will make their rig smaller.



No Myth..simple fact!



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In Reply To
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


If you happen to have or run across a canopy from the early '90's that has a multitude of these type colors, try pull testing the different ones.

The fluoresecent ones (lighter colored) will fail at a lesser pull force that say darker colors.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I have jumped florescent colored canopies (orange) since 1976 and have not found this to be true. While they do fade faster the integrity of the material does not seem to degrade any faster then the other colors in the canopy. Of course this was only a sample of 20+ canopies over a thirty year period so the conclusions might be skewed.



I have repaired about as many canopies as half the number of days you've been jumping.

It is my findings with the above statement along with serveral other manufacturer's findings,that certain fluorescent colors and silver have a shorter lifespan.

MEL
Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

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I have repaired about as many canopies as half the number of days you've been jumping.



You have repaired 5500 canopies?

If it took about an hour to do each repair that would mean you have spent around 230 days repairing canopies.:S

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No Myth..simple fact!



And this can be measured in a sample as small as a 150 sq. ft.


My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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Sparky,
Maybe it's more!
Remember I worked on several hundred just with the Crossfire SB....

MEL



There were only 440 canopies total affected by SB #20011025 and you say worked on several hundred of those?

That’s still a long was from 5,500 canopies repaired. That comes out to around 340 repairs a year for every year you have been in the sport. But I will go along with what ever you say.

About the color in a canopy, I'll ask again.

"And this can be measured in a sample as small as a 150 sq. ft. ?"

I do not think it could be measured in a canopy of 300 sq. ft. But of course that's just my opinion.
:)
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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Remember I worked on several hundred just with the Crossfire SB....



There were only 440 canopies total affected by SB #20011025 and you say worked on several hundred of those?



Well, he does run the North American Icarus Service Centre...

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