Aerodynamic performance of the supersonic parachute with material permeability

Abstract

A new flow field model was established to simulate compressible flow around porous canopy. The compressible Ergun equation was introduced into the source term of momentum equations for the first time to study the influence of material permeability on aerodynamic performance of supersonic parachutes. By using this method, the dynamic variations of related flow field results such as flow structure, drag performance and shock wave standoff distance were obtained. Numerical results including shock wave shape and the average value of drag coefficient are in accordance with the wind tunnel test results. The numerical results show that the velocity-penetrating fabric makes the wake vortex area become narrower and move backward. With the increase of material permeability, the oscillation amplitude and the average value of drag coefficient decrease. This new method can be a good supplement in parachute design and research. It also instructs how to choose fabric for supersonic parachutes.