EVALUATION AND SUMMARY OF HYPERVELOCITY IMPACT TESTS OF THE DUSTWALL METEOROID SHIELD.
Abstract
The objective of the impact tests was to determine the effectiveness of the dustwall shield in reducing the damage potential of a hypervelocity projectile. A dustwall of electrostatically oscillating iron particles (10 to the minus 7th power) was impacted by a light gas gun projectile at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). Light gas gun conditions required that the dustwall surface density be scaled up two orders of magnitude above nominal meteoroid conditions. Aluminum and steel projectiles, 1/8 in. and 1/16 in. diameter, were launched at velocities ranging from 15,000 to 23,000 ft/sec through a dustwall composed of 50 micron iron particles having a surface density of 330 GM/sq m. The present reduction in projectile mass was determined by comparing the normalized crater depth and volume produced by a non-eroded projectile of known mass and velocity to the normalized crater depth and volume produced by a projectile eroded by the dustwall. Percent reductions in masses of the spherical projectiles of 16.8 to 72.3 percent were obtained. Projectile melting and cratering were the prevailing mechanisms of mass reduction at the test velocities. The test results involving 14 data points were extrapolated to the case of 100% reduction in projectile mass indicating that a dustwall surface density of 460 GM/sq m would be required. At higher velocities, more representative of meteoroid conditions, vaporization instead of melting would prevail and the required dustwall density would be higher by a ratio of the heat of projectile vaporization to the heat of melting projectile. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0813677
Entities
People
- Fred J. Sackleh
Organizations
- Flight Dynamics Laboratory