Pseudo-flexural elements for parachute simulation

This work focuses on techniques to simulate the unfolding of a parachute or parafoil during the transition from the deployment to the inflation phases. Special pseudo-flexural elements are locally patched onto the basic grid of finite elements to simulate the unfolding behavior without adding rotational degrees of freedom. These special elements are local to, and move with, the kink in a suspension line or fold-line in a membrane and stabilize the convergence properties as constrained unfolding occurs. Examples are given to validate and demonstrate capabilities of these special elements for use in simulations of parachute dynamics.