PARACHUTES: A computer program for calculating ram-air parachutes. Theory document

Summary

PARACHUTES is a computer program developed at the International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) for the simulation of ram-air (gliding) parachute systems. The solution methodology in PARACHUTES is based on two unsteady calculation modules which work in a coupled manner. The aerodynamics of the gliding parachute is solved by a low-order panel method and a finite-element technique is used for the structure. The latter allows modelling the suspension lines, textile fabric and suspended payloads of a typical parachute system by means of cable, membrane and solid linear elements. For specified flight conditions, the simulation program solves the fluid-structural problem governing the behavior of arbitrary parachute-payload configurations and also allows analyzing user-defined maneuvers. This document describes the theoretical formulation and the numerical procedures adopted in PARACHUTES.