Impact time control using biased proportional navigation for missiles with varying velocity

A feasible guidance scheme with impact time constraint is proposed for attacking a stationary target by missiles with time-varying velocity. The main idea is to replace the constant velocity with the future mean velocity; therefore, the existing time-to-go estimation algorithm of the proportional navigation guidance law can be improved to adapt to varying conditions. In order to obtain the prediction of the velocity profile, the velocity differential equation to the downrange is derived, which can be numerically integrated between the current downrange and the target position by the on-board computer. Then, a third-order polynomial is introduced to fit the velocity profile in order to calculate the future mean velocity. At the beginning of each guidance loop, the future mean velocity is predicted and the time-to-go information is updated, based on which a novel biased proportional navigation guidance law is established to achieve the impact time constraint. Finally, numerical simulation results verified the effectiveness of the time-to-go estimation algorithm and the proposed law.     

Motion of ejecta around a binary system with an ellipsoid and a sphere

A kinetic impact occurs when an asteroid is moving. The impact may be caused by other small celestial body or an artificial object. Ejecta is produced from an impact. Dynamics of ejecta near a binary system which contains an ellipsoid and a sphere is analyzed. A phase diagram which comes from numerical simulation is shown in this work. The phase diagram shows a clear structure. Some special trajectories are also shown, which indicates a potential source of asteroid orbiting objects.     

视场角受限的三维攻击角度控制导引律

考虑末制导阶段捷联导引头视场角限制及攻击角度约束,提出一种基于三维比例导引攻击角度控制的导引律。首先,利用三维矢量制导模型和四元数理论实现三维比例导引的攻击角度预测,进而基于空间几何原理设计一种能够满足视场角约束的三维比例导引攻击角度控制方法。对闭环制导动力学进行分析,并采用李雅普诺夫原理证明视场角受限情况下的制导误差收敛性。分析该制导方法在导弹速度大小变化情况下的轨迹不变性,进而保证制导方法在速度大小变化情况下的有效性。理论分析和仿真校验结果说明了该方法的正确性和有效性。提出的方法可为视场角受限下的攻击角度控制导引律设计提供参考。     

Optimal three-dimensional impact time guidance with seeker’s field-of-view constraint

This paper proposes a new three-dimensional optimal guidance law for impact time control with seeker’s Field-of-View (FOV) constraint to intercept a stationary target. The proposed guidance law is devised in conjunction with the concept of biased Proportional Navigation Guidance (PNG). The guidance law developed leverages a nonlinear function to ensure the boundedness of velocity lead angle to cater to the seeker’s FOV limit. It is proven that the impact time error is nullified in a finite-time under the proposed method. Additionally, the optimality of the biased command is theoretically analyzed. Numerical simulations confirm the superiority of the proposed method and validate the analytic findings.     

A new landing impact attenuation seat in manned spacecraft biologically-inspired by felids

When manned spacecraft comes back to the earth, it relies on the impact attenuation seat to protect astronauts from injuries during landing phase. Hence, the seat needs to transfer impact load, as small as possible, to the crew. However, there is little room left for traditional seat to improve further. Herein, a new seat system biologically-inspired by felids’ landing is proposed.Firstly, a series of experiments was carried out on cats and tigers, in which they were trained to jump down voluntarily from different heights. Based on the ground reaction forces combined with kinematics, the experiment indicated that felids’ landing after self-initial jump was a multi-step impact attenuation process and the new seat was inspired by this. Then the construction and work process of new seat were redesigned to realize the multi-step impact attenuation. The dynamic response of traditional and new seat is analyzed under the identical conditions and the results show that the new concept seat can significantly weaken the occupant overload in two directions compared with that of traditional seat. As a consequence, the risk of injury evaluated for spinal and head is also lowered, meaning a higher level of protection which is especially beneficial to the debilitated astronaut.     

一种跌落冲击台的设计原理

介绍一种长持续时间的小型跌落冲击台 ,并对其结构特点 ,工作原理、冲击加速度参数进行了阐述分析。还提及了有关改进措施。     

Evaluation of craters formation in hypervelocity impact of debris particles on solid structures

The aim of this work is to develop simplified model of space debris particle collision on solid structures, which would provide closed form solution formulas for determining crater depth, radius and ejected mass being functions of impactor mass, speed and material of both impactor and target. The model will be verified with results of experiments.     

Hydrocode modelling of hypervelocity impacts on ice

Experimental data are now widely available for the size of craters resulting from hypervelocity impacts of millimetre scale projectiles onto water ice targets. At such size scales the bowl shaped crater formed in ductile materials, or in larger scale impacts, is here surrounded by a large spallation zone due to the brittle nature of the ice. Modelling of these impacts therefore has to take account of this spallation. Here we used the iSALE2 hydrocode to simulate such impacts and compared the results to experimental data. We found that it was possible to reproduce the experimental data over a range of speeds (1–7 km s⁻¹) for aluminium and copper projectiles. Initially, to reproduce the large spallation regions around the craters it was assumed that above a certain degree of damage, material was removed by spallation. However this simple one-parameter model failed to model the crater depth adequately. Accordingly, to obtain the best agreement of the simulations with the experimental data, a two-step ice strength was introduced, whereby above a critical amount of damage (0.95), the yield strength reduced from 1 MPa (intact) to 70 kPa (damaged). As a result, experimental data for crater depth and diameter and the results of the simulations agree to within 6% for diameter and 5% for depth over the impact energy range used in the experiments (1–240 J).     

Micro-meteoroids and space debris impact risk assessment for the ConeXpress satellite using ESABASE2/Debris

Micro-meteoroid and space debris impact risk assessments are performed to investigate the risk from hypervelocity impacts to sensitive spacecraft sub-systems. For these analyses, ESA’s impact risk assessment tool ESABASE2/Debris is used. This software tool combines micro-particle environment models, damage equations for different shielding designs and satellite geometry models to perform a detailed 3D micro-particle impact risk assessment. This paper concentrates on the impact risk for exposed pressurized tanks. Pressure vessels are especially susceptible to hypervelocity impacts when no protection is available from the satellite itself. Even small particles in the mm size range can lead to a fatal burst or rupture of a tank when impacting with a typical collision velocity of 10–20 km/s. For any space mission it has to be assured that the impact risk is properly considered and kept within acceptable limits. The ConeXpress satellite mission is analysed as example. ConeXpress is a planned service spacecraft, intended to extend the lifetime of telecommunication spacecraft in the geostationary orbit. The unprotected tanks of ConeXpress are identified as having a high failure risk from hypervelocity impacts, mainly caused by micro-meteoroids. Options are studied to enhance the impact protection. It is demonstrated that even a thin additional protective layer spaced several cm from the tank would act as part of a double wall (Whipple) shield and greatly reduce the impact risk. In case of ConeXpress with 12 years mission duration the risk of impact related failure of a tank can be reduced from almost 39% for an unprotected tank facing in flight direction to below 0.1% for a tank protected by a properly designed Whipple shield.