Simulation and Analysis of Aerodynamic Characteristics during Parafoil Canopy Curving Process and Application by LBM

Abstract

A parafoil is a crucial aerodynamic deceleration device used in the field of airdrop. The overall objective of this paper is to study the aerodynamic characteristics of the curving process of the canopy using the lattice Boltzmann method, to verify it with the experimental results, and to analyze the stalling phenomenon using the finite volume method(FVM). Simulations were conducted to analyze the aerodynamic curves of four−stage models of canopies, examining the flow field characteristics. Additionally, the influence of air chamber structures is also analyzed. The reasons for differences in the aerodynamic characteristics are discussed based on the results obtained. The reliability of utilizing the lattice Boltzmann method for aerodynamic simulations is demonstrated. Overall, the lift coefficient of models II/III/IV was increased by 30.97% compared with model I, which proved the effectiveness of the air chamber structure and curving process. Notably, different curved canopies showed significantly improved lift and drag aerodynamic characteristics to varying extents, highlighting their robustness. Also, it was observed that air chamber partitions exerted a greater influence compared to perforation. Through validation and analysis, it was determined the accuracy of the LBM improved up to 10.9% with respect to the FVM. These findings provide a valuable reference for parafoil experiments and simulation research.

Keywords

• parafoil
• computational fluid dynamics
• lattice Boltzmann method
• aerodynamic characteristics