A Numerical Investigation of Parachute Deployment in Supersonic Flow

Abstract

A validated computational fluid-structure interaction method previously applied to supersonic parachute inflation is extended to consider a unique, parallel self-contact algorithm, a porosity interface condition, improved flow field sampling procedures for obtaining quality loading on the parachute canopy, adaptive mesh refinement, and improved treatment of thin geometries in an immersed boundary framework. These extensions are discussed in detail and demonstrated on test problems. Finally, the developments are brought together and demonstrated on a sub-scale MSL parachute geometry.