Reliability assessment of slot-parachute inflation based on Bayes theory

Abstract

A parachute is a kind of decelerator that requires very high reliability. Inflation is a primary step that causes the failure of a parachute structure, especially for a slot parachute. If success/failure data from the airdrop experiment or numerical simulation are to be used for assessing the reliability of a parachute, a series of experiments or simulations is necessary. However, this process is unacceptable in engineering because of the high cost required. A new assessment method is proposed in this paper, and a novel simulation method of slot-parachute inflation is investigated to obtain strength test data. In the assessment method, strength test data are used as the prior information and integrated with inflation simulation information to assess parachute reliability using the Bayesian theory. This method is derived from a strict mathematical theory. The assessment results are consistent with the parachute's actual performance. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

Keywords:

• slot parachute
• reliability
• Bayesian theory
• information fusion
• fluid–solid interactions
• inflation process
• strength test

Acknowledgements

The work presented in this paper was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (11272345). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation of China.