In general, we know that parachutes speed depends on the aerodynamic forces acting on the canopy as the captured air causes the pressure inside the canopy to increase above the pressure outside of the canopy, resulting in a drag force. However, the aerodynamic behavior of the parachute during severe weather conditions can be very difficult to predict, and requires an accurate method of analysis. The ultimate goal of this simulation is to investigate the drag forces of a parachute during free fall, and most of all, the effects of cross wind along with heavy precipitations. Due to the complicated airflow around the canopy, the performance of a parachute during heavy precipitation can be very difficult to predict. After successful numerical validation on a typical T-10 parachute drag coefficient value of ～0.81, our results show the complicated effects of gusty cross winds on parachute pressure and vorticity distributions, and an apparent reduction in parachute drag coefficient under heavy rain is also observed.
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