Cleaning space debris with a space-based laser system

High-energy pulsed laser radiation may be the most feasible means to mitigate the threat of collision of a space station or other valuable space assets with orbital debris in the size range of 1–10 cm. Under laser irradiation, part of the debris material is ablated and provides an impulse to the debris particle. Proper direction of the impulse vector either deflects the object trajectory or forces the debris on a trajectory through the upper atmosphere, where it burns up. Most research concentrates on ground-based laser systems but pays little attention to space-based laser systems.There are drawbacks of a ground-based laser system in cleaning space debris. Therefore the placement of a laser system in space is proposed and investigated. Under assumed conditions,the elimination process of space debris is analyzed. Several factors such as laser repetition frequency, relative movement between the laser and debris, and inclination of debris particles which may exercise influence to the elimination effects are discussed. A project of a space-based laser system is proposed according to the numerical results of a computer study. The proposed laser system can eliminate debris of 1–10 cm and succeed in protecting a space station.     

Pulsed laser interactions with space debris: Target shape effects

Among the approaches to the proposed mitigation and remediation of the space debris problem is the de-orbiting of objects in low Earth orbit through irradiation by ground-based high-intensity pulsed lasers. Laser ablation of a thin surface layer causes target recoil, resulting in the depletion of orbital angular momentum and accelerated atmospheric re-entry. However, both the magnitude and direction of the recoil are shape dependent, a feature of the laser-based remediation concept that has received little attention. Since the development of a predictive capability is desirable, we have investigated the dynamical response to ablation of objects comprising a variety of shapes. We derive and demonstrate a simple analytical technique for calculating the ablation-driven transfer of linear momentum, emphasizing cases for which the recoil is not exclusively parallel to the incident beam. For the purposes of comparison and contrast, we examine one case of momentum transfer in the low-intensity regime, where photon pressure is the dominant momentum transfer mechanism, showing that shape and orientation effects influence the target response in a similar, but not identical, manner. We address the related problem of target spin and, by way of a few simple examples, show how ablation can alter the spin state of a target, which often has a pronounced effect on the recoil dynamics.     

CFRP层合板雷击烧蚀损伤模拟的电流加载方式分析

通过改进加载方式减小数值模拟与试验结果误差对于提高仿真准确性具有一定意义。本文探究复合材料层合板在不同形式雷击电流下的烧蚀损伤特性，改进Braginskii 电弧半径扩展公式，建立适用于雷击过程的电弧扩展半径数值模型；基于ABAQUS 建立CFRP 层合板有限元模型，分析不同电流加载方式下的烧蚀损伤情况。结果表明：建立的有限元模型能够模拟CFRP 层合板雷击烧蚀损伤；扩展移动加载造成的损伤面积、损伤深度和损伤体积与试验结果对比误差均约为7%，较其他加载方式仿真结果与试验结果对比具有良好的一致性，模拟复合材料雷击烧蚀损伤时应同时考虑电流扩展和移动的影响。     

面向超燃数值模拟的正癸烷高温骨架机理

为了得到一个适用于超声速燃烧模拟的小规模正癸烷骨架机理，以现有的正癸烷燃烧机理（S709）为基础，通过机理简化和参数对比优化的方法，构建了包含27个物种和105个反应的高温骨架机理（S27）。在温度（T：1000–2000 K）、压力（p：0.1–0.3 MPa）、当量比（Φ：0.5–1.5）的超燃典型工况范围内，通过Chemkin-Pro软件计算了S27对于层流火焰速度、点火延迟时间、熄火拉伸率的预测值，在0.1 MPa富燃条件（Φ=1.7）下，计算了主要物种浓度分布，并与文献正癸烷骨架机理（S40，S96）、S709的模拟值和实验数据进行对比，以验证机理的合理性。结果表明S27的计算结果与文献实验数据和S709结果吻合良好。通过研究S27在高温条件下含C物种的反应途径以及影响层流火焰速度的关键反应，进一步证明了S27的合理性。相较于S709及其他正癸烷骨架机理，S27极大地提升了计算效率，展现了此机理应用于超燃流场数值模拟的良好前景。