Meteoroids and space debris hypervelocity impact penetrations in LDEF MAP foils compared with hydrocode simulations

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Abstract

The continued analyses of penetrating impacts on MAP foils of Aluminium and Brass have produced data for several LDEF faces, i.e., Space, West, and East. These data have immediate bearing on the interpretation and design of devices to detect the penetration of a thin metallic film by a dust grain which have been tested both in the laboratory and in space. A crucial component of the analysis has been the theoretical calculation utilizing CTH, a Sandia National Laboratory Hydrodynamic computer code /1/ to assess the parameters of the hypervelocity penetration event. In particular theoretical hydrodynamic calculations have been conducted to simulate the hypervelocity impact event where various cosmic dust grain candidates, e.g., density = 0.998, 2.700, 7.870 (gm/cm3), and velocities, i.e., 7 – 16 km/s, have been utilized to reproduce the events. Theoretical analyses of hypervelocity impact events will be reported which span an extensive matrix of values for velocity, density and size. Through a comparison between LDEF MAP foil measurements and CTH hydrocode calculations these analyses will provide an interpretation of the most critical parameters measured for space returned materials, i.e., for thin films, the diameter of the penetration hole, Db, and for semi-infinite targets, the depth-to-diameter ratio of craters, Dc/Tc. An immediate consequence of a comparison of CTH calculations with space exposed materials will be an enhancement of the coherent model developed by UKC-USS researchers to describe penetration dynamics associated with LDEF MAP foils.

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Cited by (1)

  • Interplanetary dust detected by the Cassini CDA Chemical Analyser

    2007, Icarus
    Citation Excerpt :

    To try and form a cohesive, holistic picture of the nature and behaviour of dust particles within the Solar System, a number of models have been developed, two of the most successful being by Divine (1993) and Staubach et al. (1997), which model the interplanetary dust complex over a wide range of heliocentric distance. Particle composition and density are assumed when interpreting optical and infrared observations, lunar micro-cratering records (e.g., Le Sergeant D'Hendecourt and Lamy, 1980) and in foil penetration experiments (e.g., Tanner et al., 1996), and the particle composition and density strongly affect the β value (the ratio of the force due to radiation pressure to the force due to gravity on the particle) assumed for a particle. This value is an important parameter in dynamical models such as those previously mentioned.

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