Characterizing Debris Clouds Created in Oblique Orbital Debris Particle Impact
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 16, Issue 4
Abstract
The problem of pollution within Earth’s orbital environment has gained considerable recognition over the past decades. Determining adequate passive protection schemes is an unending process that attempts to meet different objectives for widely varying types of missions. Significant amounts of resources have been expended toward development of numerical and analytical models that model the response of a variety of target systems under high-speed orbital debris impacts. The objective of the study whose results are presented herein was to improve upon an existing oblique hypervelocity impact model that characterizes the various secondary debris clouds created in such an impact. This was accomplished by reducing the model’s dependence on empirical user-defined parameters and by correcting an error in one of its equations. Predictions of the improved model are compared with numerical simulations generated during previous impact studies under comparable conditions. It is found that the improved model does a reasonable job of predicting the characteristics of the secondary debris clouds created in an oblique hypervelocity impact.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Ari, N., and Wilbeck, J. S.(1993). “Debris fragment characterization in oblique hypervelocity impacts.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 14(1–4), 37–48.
Asay, J. R., and Trucano, T. G.(1990). “Studies of density distributions in 1-D shock-induced debris clouds.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 10(1–4), 35–50.
Burch, G. T. (1967). “Multi-plate damage study.” AFATL-TR-67-116, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Corovonato, E., Destefanis, R., and Faraud, M.(2001). “Integral model for the description of the debris cloud structure and impact.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 26(1–4), 115–128.
Dickinson, D. L., Yatteau, J. D., and Recht, R. F.(1987). “Fragmentbreakup.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 5(1–4), 249–260.
Eagle Engineering, Inc. (1987). “Evaluation of space station meteoroid/debris shielding materials.” ER-87–163, Houston.
Fahrenthold, E. P.(1993). “A Lagrangian model for debris cloud dynamics simulations.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 14(1–4), 229–240.
Grady, D. E., and Passman, S. L.(1990). “Stability and fragmentation of ejecta in hypervelocity impact.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 10(1–4), 197–212.
Hayhurst, C. J., and Clegg, R. A.(1997). “Cylindrically symmetric SPH simulations of hypervelocity impacts on thin plates.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 20(1–4), 337–348.
Hayhurst, C. J., Livingstone, I., Clegg, R. A., Fairlie, G., Hiermaier, S., and Lambert, M. (1998). “Numerical simulation of hypervelocity impacts on aluminum and Nextel/Kevlar Whipple shields.” Proc., Hypervelocity Shielding Workshop, H. Fair, ed., Galveston, Tex., Institute of Advanced Technology, Austin, Tex.
Holian, K. S.(1990). “Hydrodynamics code calculations of debris clouds produced by ball-plate impacts.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 10(1–4), 231–239.
Holian, K. S., and Burkett, M. W.(1987). “Sensitivity of hypervelocity impact simulations to equation of state.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 5(1–4), 331–341.
Hopkins, A. K., Lee, T. W., and Swift, H. F. (1972). “Material phase transformation effects upon performance of space bumper systems.” J. Spacecr. Rockets, 9(5), 342–345.
Hough, G. R.(1987). “Hypervelocity impact visualization with a new Cranz-Schardin camera.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 5(1–4), 363–369.
Kessler, D. J.(1981). “Sources of orbital debris and the projected environment for future spacecraft.” J. Spacecr., 18(4), 357–360.
Klopp, R. W., Shockey, D. A., Osher, J. E., and Chau, H. H.(1990). “Characteristics of hypervelocity impact debris clouds.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 10(1–4), 323–335.
Lawrence, R. J.(1987). “A simple model for the optimization of stand-off hypervelocity particle shields.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 5(1–4), 451–461.
Lawrence, R. J., Kemtyk, L. N., and Chhabildas, L. C.(1995). “The influence of phase changes on debris cloud interactions with protected structures.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 17(1–4), 487–496.
McMillan, A. R. (1968). “Experimental investigations of simulated meteoroid damage to various spacecraft structures.” NASA CR-915, Washington, D.C.
Merzhievskii, L. A.(1997). “Statistical characterization of a debris cloud behind a shield.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 20(1–4), 569–577.
Merzhievskii, L. A., and Urushkin, V.(1981). “Oblique collision of a high-speed particle with a shield.” Combust., Explos. Shock Waves, 16, 551–555.
National Research Council (NRC). (1995). Orbital debris, a technical assessment, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
Orphal, D. L.(1999). “Highly oblique impact and penetration of thin targets by steel spheres.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 23(1–4), 687–698.
Orphal, D. L., and Anderson, C. E., Jr. (2001). “Target damage from highly oblique hypervelocity impacts of steel spheres against thin laminated targets.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 26(1–4), 567–578.
Piekutowski, A. J.(1987). “Debris clouds generated by hypervelocity impact of cylindrical projectiles with thin aluminum plates.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 5(1–4), 509–518.
Piekutowski, A. J.(1990). “A simple model for the formation of debris clouds.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 10(1–4), 453–471.
Piekutowski, A. J.(1993). “Characteristics of debris clouds produced by hypervelocity impacts of aluminum spheres with aluminum plates.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 14(1–4), 573–586.
Piekutowski, A. J.(1997). “Effects of scale on debris cloud properties.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 20(1–4), 639–650.
Piekutowski, A. J.(2001). “Debris clouds produced by the hypervelocity impact of non-spherical projectiles.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 26(1–4), 613–624.
Poormon, K., and Piekutowski, A. J.(1995). “Comparisons of cadmium and aluminum debris clouds.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 17(1–4), 639–648.
Schonberg, W. P. (1999). “Characterizing secondary debris impact ejecta.” Final Rep., Contract NAS8-97095, NASA, Huntsville, Ala.
Schonberg, W. P.(2001). “Characterizing secondary debris impact ejecta.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 26(1–4), 713–724.
Schonberg, W. P., Bean, A. J., and Darzi, K. (1991). “Hypervelocity Impact Physics.” NASA CR-4343, Huntsville, Ala.
Schonberg, W. P., and Taylor, R. A.(1989). “Penetration and ricochet phenomena in oblique hypervelocity impact.” AIAA J., 27(5), 639–646.
Schonberg, W. P., and Taylor, R. A.(1990). “Exterior spacecraft subsystem protective shielding analysis and design.” J. Spacecr. Rockets, 27(3), 267–274.
Schonberg, W. P., and Yang, F.(1993). “Response of spacecraft structures to orbital debris particle impact.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 14(1–4), 647–658.
Schulz, J. C., Heimdahl, O. E. R., and Finnegan, S. A.(1987). “Computercharacterization of debris clouds resulting from hypervelocity impact.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 5(1–4), 577–584.
Stilp, A. J., Hohler, V., Schneider, E., and Weber, K.(1990). “Debris cloud expansion studies.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 10(1–4), 543–553.
Stilp, A. J., and Weber, K.(1997). “Debris clouds behind double-layer targets.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 20(1–4), 765–778.
Summers, J. L. (1959). “Investigation of high speed impact: Regions of impact and impact at oblique angles.” NASA TN D-94, Washington, D.C.
Trucano, T. G., and Asay, J. R.(1987). “Effect of vaporization of debris cloud dynamics.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 5(1–4), 645–653.
Yew, C. H., Grady, D. E., and Lawrence, R. J.(1993). “A simple model for debris clouds produced by hypervelocity particle impacts.” Int. J. Impact Eng., 14(1–4), 851–862.
Zukas, J. A. (1990). High velocity impact dynamics, Wiley, New York.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 24, 2002
Accepted: May 1, 2003
Published online: Sep 15, 2003
Published in print: Oct 2003
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.