Status and Perspectives in Protective Design

Starting with an introduction into the field of hypervelocity impacts, an overview over current research in the area of protection against space debris is given. Trends and strategies to further develop know-how in protection technology are then discussed. One purpose is to demonstrate that improvements in shield efficiency can be expected. To achieve this aim, a strategy is outlined which tries to avoid the adjustment of numerical and material parameters by fits to penetration experiments. Instead, it is suggested to determine material parameters from carefully selected laboratory tests, covering a broad range of strains, strain rates and stress states. Knowledge of the dynamic material behaviour can then be used for the development of new shield concepts by means of numerical simulation.