Fluid–structure interactions of a cross parachute: numerical simulation Original Research Article

The dynamics of parachutes involves complex interaction between the parachute structure and the surrounding flow field. Accurate representation of parachute systems requires treatment of the problem as a fluid–structure interaction (FSI). In this paper we present the numerical simulations we performed for the purpose of comparison to a series of cross-parachute wind tunnel experiments. The FSI model consists of a 3-D fluid dynamics (FD) solver based on the Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized Space–Time (DSD/SST) procedure, a structural dynamics (SD) solver, and a method of coupling the two solvers. These FSI simulations include the prediction of the coupled FD and SD behavior, drag histories, flow fields, structural behavior, and equilibrium geometries for the structure. Comparisons between the numerical results and the wind tunnel data are conducted for three cross-parachute models and at three different wind tunnel flow speeds.