Metallic dust collectors for low velocity impacts

Experiments simulating the non-destructive collection of cosmic dust are conducted at the laboratory of the Lehrstuhl für Raumfahrttechnik (LRT) of the Technische Universität München (TUM). The electromagnetic accelerator setup is described, which is capable of obtaining an impact velocity between 10 and 400 m/s with particle masses up to 1 g. The evaluation method of the ratio of collected to impacting particles is given. Various metallic surface structures were tested with respect to their collection efficiency using different types of particles from 1 to 500 μm in size for simulation of cosmic dust. The simulation results are presented with emphasis on collection mechanisms. Particular influences on the collection mechanisms are discussed.