Water Surface Skipping of Elastic Bodies
Abstract
Water-skipping is an interesting mode of projectile travel most commonly associated with the pastime of stone skipping. However, 18th century naval tacticians recognized the utility of skipping cannonballs along the water surface to impact targets on the waterline [1]. A recent invention [2] demonstrates that elasticity improves the skipping performance of a sphere compared to its rigid counterpart (see Figure 1). However, the underlying physical mechanisms that enable this enhanced skipping have never been investigated. Therefore, we propose to investigate the physics of elastic bodies skipping on the water surface. Through a combined experimental, numerical and theoretical approach, we will determine the in uence of impact parameters and material properties on the skipping behavior of elastic spheres. Although the thrust of the proposed work is to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanics of water impact of highly deformable elastic objects at a free-surface, possible naval applications include: a novel weapon system for anti-swarm defense and the design of air-dropped weapons, in atable boats and shock absorbers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 12, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141512667
Entities
People
- Tadd T Truscott
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Utah State University