卫星高压气瓶的超高速撞击试验

微流星体及空间碎片超高速撞击对在轨航天器构成了严重威胁,星上压力容器受空间碎片撞击后所产生的威胁是十分严重的,可能导致航天器发生灾难性失效,过早结束其使命。文章通过星上常用气瓶的超高速撞击试验,获取了不同弹丸撞击参数下气瓶器壁的通孔孔径,得到了在弹丸撞击速度为(6.5±0.3)km/s、无防护情况下气瓶器壁的弹道极限,并分析了导致充压气瓶灾难性失效的弹丸直径范围;通过对试验数据拟合,初步建立了弹丸正撞击速度为(6.5±0.3)km/s、无防护情况下气瓶器壁的通孔孔径预测公式,为航天器遭遇空间碎片撞击的风险评估及防护措施制定提供依据。     

高速撞击充气压力容器前壁损伤数值模拟

针对空间碎片超高速撞击充气压力容器前壁损伤问题,应用非线性动力学分析软件AUTODYN采用拉格朗日方法对球形弹丸撞击球形压力容器前壁穿孔进行了数值模拟研究。在建模过程中通过对容器壁内侧施加压力边界条件来模拟由于内充气体的作用在容器壁内产生的应力场,并通过与试验结果的比较验证了数值模拟方法的有效性。在此基础上针对容器的内充气体压力、球形弹丸直径及撞击速度对充气压力容器前壁穿孔的影响进行了研究。结果表明:在一定的气体压力下,气体压力对压力容器前壁穿孔直径与穿孔形态的影响可以忽略不计;而撞击速度及弹丸直径对穿孔直径及穿孔形态有着较大的影响,当撞击速度大于3km/s时,撞击穿孔边缘开始有裂纹产生,并且穿孔直径与裂纹直径随着弹丸直径及撞击速度的增加而增大。利用压力容器前壁穿孔的数值模拟结果进行计算可以得出当容器受到撞击速度大于3km/s的弹丸撞击后比撞击速度不大于3km/s时更易发生破坏。     

基于缩放实验的Whipple结构撞击特性

针对航天器空间碎片防护问题,基于缩放实验方法,开展了7 km/s以上超高速碰撞仿真研究.建立了单板和Whipple防护结构的仿真模型,并对铝-铝撞击问题和镉-镉撞击问题进行了多工况仿真.通过实验结果与数值仿真的对比,表明了数值仿真技术的正确性,并从仿真角度验证了缩放实验方法的有效性.对缩放实验方法的适用性进行了仿真验证,结果表明该方法对弹丸形状适用性较好,对3～4 km/s以上撞击速度的适用性较好,但对Whipple防护结构后板存在一定误差.分析了Whipple结构后板的失效模式,提出了失效模式的不连续性导致了缩放实验方法的误差.最后通过数值仿真计算了Whipple结构7 km/s以上弹道极限特性,提出了失效模式的不连续性造成了在该速度段弹道极限曲线的分叉现象.     

超高速撞击条件下铝合金材料参数识别方法

在超高速撞击过程中,金属材料在大变形、高应变率条件下的材料参数获取是一个研究难点.在确定Steinberg本构模型和Gruneisen状态方程前提下,结合已有的物理试验结果,采用SPH(Smooth Particle Hydrodynamic)算法实现超高速撞击问题的数值模拟,定义优化目标为物理试验结果和仿真结果之间的相对误差值,利用连续响应面法SRSM(Successive Response Surface Method)对铝合金6061的Steinberg本构模型中的4个关键参数进行优化识别计算.经过识别的材料参数与物理试验的结果近似程度更好,证明了这种方法的正确性和可靠性.      

Finite element reconstruction approach for on-orbit spacecraft breakup dynamics simulation and fragment analysis

Breakup model is the key area of space debris environment modeling. NASA standard breakup model is currently the most widely used for general-purpose. It is a statistical model found based on space surveillance data and a few ground-based test data. NASA model takes the mass, impact velocity magnitude for input and provides the fragment size, area-to-mass ratio, velocity magnitude distributions for output. A more precise approach for spacecraft disintegration fragment analysis is presented in this paper. This approach is based on hypervelocity impact dynamics and takes the shape, material, internal structure and impact location etc. of spacecraft and impactor, which might greatly affect the fragment distribution, into consideration. The approach is a combination of finite element and particle methods, entitled finite element reconstruction (FER). By reconstructing elements from the particle debris cloud, reliable individual fragments are identified. Fragment distribution is generated with undirected graph conversion and connected component analysis. Ground-based test from literature is introduced for verification. In the simulation satellite targets and impactors are modeled in detail including the shape, material, internal structure and so on. FER output includes the total number of fragments and the mass, size and velocity vector of each fragment. The reported fragment distribution of FER shows good agreement with the test, and has good accuracy for small fragments.     

Protecting Earth-orbiting spacecraft against micro-meteoroid/orbital debris impact damage using composite structural systems and materials: An overview

Spacecraft that are launched to operate in Earth orbit are susceptible to impacts by meteoroids and pieces of orbital debris (MMOD). The effect of a MMOD particle impact on a spacecraft depends on where the impact occurs, the size, composition, and speed of the impacting object, the function of the impacted system. In order to perform a risk analysis for a particular spacecraft under a specific mission profile, it is important to know whether or not the impacting particle (or its remnants) will exit the rear of an impacted spacecraft wall. A variety of different ballistic limit equations (BLEs) have been developed for many different types of structural wall configurations. BLEs can be used to optimize the design of spacecraft wall parameters so that the resulting configuration is able to withstand the anticipated variety of on-orbit high-speed impact scenarios. While the level of effort exerted in studying the response of metallic multi-wall systems to high speed particle impact is quite substantial, the extent of the effort to study composite material and composite structural systems under similar impact conditions has been much more limited. This paper presents an overview of the activities performed to assess the resiliency of composite structures and materials under high speed projectile impact. The activities reviewed will be those that have been aimed at increasing the level of protection afforded to spacecraft operating in the MMOD environment, and more specifically, on those activities performed to mitigate the mechanical and structural effects of an MMOD impact.     

A ballistic limit equation for hypervelocity impacts on composite honeycomb sandwich panel satellite structures

During a recent experimental test campaign performed in the framework of ESA Contract 16721, the ballistic performance of multiple satellite-representative Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP)/Aluminium honeycomb sandwich panel structural configurations (GOCE, Radarsat-2, Herschel/Planck, BeppoSax) was investigated using the two-stage light-gas guns at EMI. The experimental results were used to develop and validate a new empirical Ballistic Limit Equation (BLE), which was derived from an existing Whipple-shield BLE. This new BLE provided a good level of accuracy in predicting the ballistic performance of stand-alone sandwich panel structures. Additionally, the equation is capable of predicting the ballistic limit of a thin Al plate located at a standoff behind the sandwich panel structure. This thin plate is the representative of internal satellite systems, e.g. an Al electronic box cover, a wall of a metallic vessel, etc. Good agreement was achieved with both the experimental test campaign results and additional test data from the literature for the vast majority of set-ups investigated. For some experiments, the ballistic limit was conservatively predicted, a result attributed to shortcomings in correctly accounting for the presence of high surface density multi-layer insulation on the outer facesheet. Four existing BLEs commonly applied for application with stand-alone sandwich panels were reviewed using the new impact test data. It was found that a number of these common approaches provided non-conservative predictions for sandwich panels with CFRP facesheets.     

空间碎片超高速撞击动力学建模与数值仿真技术

阐明了空间碎片超高速撞击数值仿真技术研究的目的、意义和国内外发展状况 ;重点论述了空间碎片超高速撞击数值仿真技术的主要研究内容、技术指标和具体实施途径 ,从而为研究的深入开展提供了技术依据和指导原则     

Comparison of fragments created by low- and hyper-velocity impacts

This paper summarizes two new satellite impact experiments. The objective of the experiments was to investigate the outcome of low- and hyper-velocity impacts on two identical target satellites. The first experiment was performed at a low-velocity of 1.5 km/s using a 40-g aluminum alloy sphere. The second experiment was performed at a hyper-velocity of 4.4 km/s using a 4-g aluminum alloy sphere. The target satellites were 15 cm × 15 cm × 15 cm in size and 800 g in mass. The ratios of impact energy to target mass for the two experiments were approximately the same. The target satellites were completely fragmented in both experiments, although there were some differences in the characteristics of the fragments. The projectile of the low-velocity impact experiment was partially fragmented while the projectile of the hyper-velocity impact experiment was completely fragmented beyond recognition. To date, approximately 1500 fragments from each impact experiment have been collected for detailed analysis. Each piece has been weighed, measured, and analyzed based on the analytic method used in the NASA Standard Breakup Model (2000 revision). These fragments account for about 95% of the target mass for both impact experiments. Preliminary analysis results will be presented in this paper.     

Estimation of orbital parameters of broken-up objects from in-situ debris measurements

Even sub-millimeter-size debris could cause a fatal damage on a spacecraft. Such tiny debris cannot be followed up or tracked from the ground. Therefore, Kyushu University has initiated IDEA the project for In-situ Debris Environmental Awareness, which conducts in-situ measurements of sub-millimeter-size debris. One of the objectives is to estimate the location of on-orbit satellite fragmentations from in-situ measurements. The previous studies revealed that it is important to find out the right nodal precession rate to estimate the orbital parameters of a broken-up object properly. Therefore, this study derives a constraint equation that applies to the nodal precession rate of the broken-up object. This study also establishes an effective procedure to estimate properly the orbital parameters of a broken-up object with the constraint equation.     

Impact effects from small size meteoroids and space debris

When the impact risk from meteoroids and orbital debris is assessed the main concern is usually structural damage. With their high impact velocities of typically 10–20 km/s millimeter or centimeter sized objects can puncture pressure vessels and other walls or lead to destruction of complete subsystems or even whole spacecraft. Fortunately chances of collisions with such larger objects are small (at least at present). However, particles in the size range 1–100 μm are far more abundant than larger objects and every orbiting spacecraft will encounter them with certainty. Every solar cell (8 cm² area) of the Hubble Space Telescope encountered on average 12 impacts during its 8.25 years of space exposure. Most were from micron sized particles.     

非相干散射雷达的空间碎片参数统计分析

采用匹配滤波方法处理了非相干散射雷达的原始采样数据(时长约7h), 共检测到394个空间碎片, 估算了其轨道高度、径向速度、散射截面、等效直径及径向加速度等参数, 统计分析了这些参数的变化特征, 得到穿过雷达 波束的空间碎片流量约为60h-1, 信噪比为10～1000, 空间碎片主要分布在600～1100km和1400～1600km两个高度区间, 散射截面 10-5～10-2m2, 等效直径3～10cm, 径向速度-1.5～1.5km·s-1, 径向加速度20～90m·s-2, 这对于中国的空间碎片探测与研究具有重要参考意义.