Summary
Embedded Boundary Methods (EBMs) are often preferred for the solution of Fluid‐Structure Interaction (FSI) problems because they are reliable for large structural motions/deformations and topological changes. For viscous flow problems, however, they do not track the boundary layers that form around embedded obstacles and therefore do not maintain them resolved. Hence, an Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) framework for EBMs is proposed in this paper. It is based on computing the distance from an edge of the embedding computational fluid dynamics mesh to the nearest embedded discrete surface and on satisfying the y+ requirements. It is also equipped with a Hessian‐based criterion for resolving flow features such as shocks, vortices, and wakes and with load balancing for achieving parallel efficiency. It performs mesh refinement using a parallel version of the newest vertex bisection method to maintain mesh conformity. Hence, while it is sufficiently comprehensive to support many discretization methods, it is particularly attractive for vertex‐centered finite volume schemes where dual cells tend to complicate the mesh adaptation process. Using the EBM known as FIVER, this AMR framework is verified for several academic FSI problems. Its potential for realistic FSI applications is also demonstrated with the simulation of a challenging supersonic parachute inflation dynamics problem.
A high fidelity multi-physics Eulerian computational framework is presented for the simulation of supersonic parachute inflation during Mars landing. Unlike previous investigations in this area, the framework takes into account an initial folding pattern of the parachute, the flow compressibility effect on the fabric material porosity, and the interactions between supersonic fluid flows and the suspension lines. Several adaptive mesh refinement (AMR)-enabled, large edge simulation (LES)-based, simulations of a full-size disk-gapband (DGB) parachute inflating in the low-density, low-pressure, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) Martian atmosphere are reported. The comparison of the drag histories and the first peak forces between the simulation results and experimental data collected during the NASA Curiosity Rover's Mars atmospheric entry shows reasonable agreements. Furthermore, a rudimentary material failure analysis is performed to provide an estimate of the safety factor for the parachute decelerator system. The proposed framework demonstrates the potential of using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI)-based simulation tools for future supersonic parachute design.
Nomenclature
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