Numerical study on water landing characteristics of a reentry capsule with airbag cushioning under calm water and regular/irregular waves

This study presents a Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) model to analyze the water landing characteristics of a reentry capsule equipped with airbag cushioning. The model employs the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method to simulate the capsule’s impact with water, while the control volume method is used to model the airbag cushioning process. Additionally, both regular and irregular heading waves are incorporated to simulate the landing dynamics of the capsule-airbag system under various sea conditions. The developed FSI model is utilized to investigate the effects of initial velocity, attitude angle, and wave phase on the water landing characteristics of the capsule-airbag system under calm water, regular and irregular wave conditions. Key parameters, such as the impact force on the capsule, as well as the pressure, mass flow rate, and stress distribution within the airbags, are analyzed. The insights gained from this study provide valuable guidance for minimizing damage to personnel and equipment during maritime recovery operations.