A Numerical Study of the Dynamics of Parachute Aided Descent

Abstract

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been successfully applied to many engineering problems. This paper presents the influence of three different two-equation turbulence models on computing the drag coefficient for both hemispherical canopy and Ram air canopy at different velocities. The aim of this paper is to offer guidance to select appropriate turbulence models for this application. Using available different turbulence models from ANSYS FLUENT the drag coefficient of hemispherical canopy (HC) and Ram air canopy (RC) of different sizes were calculated in the range of velocity (2 m/s-50 m/s). These results were used to evaluate the terminal velocity and time taken to reach the ground by the paratrooper by solving the differential equations numerically using RK4 technique. Comparisons have been made for both the canopies based on the effects of shape and also the area of the canopies. It was observed that all three models predicted the drag coefficient to be a constant in the above mentioned velocity range and results also indicate that the canopy's shape does not influence the terminal velocity.