Hypervelocity impact tests and simulations of single Whipple bumper shield concepts at 10 km/s
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL (United States)
A series of experiments has been performed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Whipple bumper shield to orbital space debris at impact velocities of {approximately} 10 km/s. Upon impact by a 19 mm (0.87 nun thick, L/D {approximately}0.5) flier plate, the thin aluminum bumper shield disintegrates into a debris cloud. The debris cloud front propagates axially at velocities of {approximately}14 km/s and expands radially at a velocity of {approximately}7 km/s. Subsequent loading by the debris on a 3.2 mm thick aluminum substructure placed 114 mm from the bumper penetrates the substructure completely. However, when the diameter of the flier plate is reduced to 12.7 mm, the substructure, although damaged, is not perforated over the duration of the experiment. Numerical simulations performed using the multi-dimensional hydrodynamics code CTH also predict complete perforation of the substructure by the subsequent debris cloud for the larger flier plate. The numerical simulation for a 12.7 mm flier plate, however, shows a strong dependence on assumed impact geometry, i.e., a spherical projectile impact geometry does not result in perforation of the substructure by the subsequent debris cloud, while the flat plate impact geometry results in perforation.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 10109650
- Report Number(s):
- SAND--92-2355C; CONF-921162--14; ON: DE93003999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Whipple bumper shield results and CTH simulations at velocities in excess of 10 km/s
Whipple bumper shield results and CTH simulations at velocities in excess of 10 km/s