Unlocking the Physics of Hypervelocity Impact

Abstract

Satellites and spacecraft in orbit can impact micrometeorites and other debris at velocities exceeding thousands of meters per second. The shock pressures and temperatures created by these hypervelocity impacts greatly surpass standard material strengths, and deform structures in unconventional failure modes. Under these extreme conditions and strain rates, plastic deformation of a solid can resemble viscous fluidic motion. Using meshless finite element analysis methods, the present research attempts to quantify this fluidic structural response and identify analogous interactions in fluid dynamics.

On the Fluidic Response of Structures in Hypervelocity Impacts

“…The shock dynamics and material response during HVI depend highly on the speed of sound within the continuum, so C 0 has not been modified. The Mie-Gruneisen EOS was used for models of fluid-fluid impacts, as it can handle large pressure differentials and shock events [19]. The initial constants used for aluminum and water are given in Table 1.…”