Advanced passive safety systems for aircraft: a numerical simulation of parachute inflation

Purpose The rapid expansion of urban air mobility demands advanced passive safety systems specifically designed for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Traditional parachute recovery systems, effective for fixed-wing aircraft, face significant challenges when adapted to a VTOL due to their unique flight dynamics. This study aims to establish methods for analyzing parachute aerodynamic properties and inflation behavior, providing critical insights to optimize parachute recovery systems for VTOL aircraft and enhance their safety and reliability. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations using ANSYS LS-DYNA with an incompressible computational fluid dynamics (ICFD) solver and an implicit structural solver in a two-way strong coupling. A detailed infinite mass analysis workflow predicts parachute inflation under constant descent velocities. Canopy and suspension lines are modeled with realistic material properties to accurately simulate dynamic interactions and deployment behavior. Findings This paper demonstrated that the use of LS-DYNA FSI analysis can accurately predict parachute inflation from semi-inflated geometry. The geometry used for simulation was based on a parachute prototype developed at the Aerospace Institute, BUT FME. The simulation results showed a strong agreement with experimental testing, particularly in terms of the drag coefficient and inflated shape. Originality/value This paper verifies the capabilities and accuracy of FSI analysis using LS-DYNA ICFD solver for parachute inflation.