Summary
It is shown both by experiment and also by numerical simulation that for a vertically hanging folded chain the free part, if released, is falling faster than a free falling body under gravitational acceleration. A qualitative explanation of thisparadoxical phenomenon is given by showing that a downpulling force at the fold is created. In the simulation this force is also calculated quantitatively.
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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Franz Ziegler on the occasion of his 60th birthday
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Schagerl, M., Steindl, A., Steiner, W. et al. On the paradox of the free falling folded chain. Acta Mechanica 125, 155–168 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01177305
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01177305