Simulation of Dynamic Contact Problems in Parachute Systems

Abstract

Contact phenomena are commonly observed in the operation of parachute systems. The effect of contact on parachute system performance is poorly understood and difficult to study experimentally. Computer simulations can provide an alternate method to evaluate these problems. In this paper, simulations of typical parachute contact phenomena are performed to evaluate the robustness of a previously developed structural model for modeling such problems. The structural model is based on a geometrically-nonlinear transient finite element formulation for membranes and cables that undergo large displacements and rotations and potentially “wrinkle” due to loss of tension. This model has been implemented in a parallel finite element code and is used with a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code to perform fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulations of parachute systems. In this paper, the inclusion of contact algorithms in this structural model is evaluated by performing simulations of parachute inflation, a parachute cluster, and an inflated parachute impacted by a foreign object. In these simulations, the structural model is used with prescribed pressures, which is considered to be a prerequisite to performing fully coupled FSI simulations of parachute systems with contact.