NASA T E C H N I C A L N O T E

-e=

w3

n
3L:

SIMULATION OF
METEORQID-VELOCITY IMPACT
BY USE F DENSE PROJECTILES

by Robert He M o ~ r ~ ~ o n
es

Research Center
Fie

N A ~ I O N A L~ R O N A U ~ I C AND
S
SPACE A D ~ I N I S ~ R A T I O N

W A S ~ I N ~ T O N D.
, C.

APRIL 1970

1.

2. Government A c c e s s i o n No.

Report No.

3. R e c i p i e n t ' s Cotalog No.

NASA TN D-5734

5. Report D a t e
April 1970

SIMULATION OF METEOROID-VELOCITY IMPACT BY USE OF DENSE

PROJECTILES

7. Author(s)

6. Performing O r g a n i z a t i o n Code

8.

Performing O r g a n i z a t i o n Report No.

A-3315

Robert H. Morrison

9.

IO. Work U n i t N o .
124-09- 15-02-00- 21

Performing O r g a n i z a t i o n N a m e and Address

NASA Ames Research Center

Moffett Field, Calif., 94035

12.

Sponsoring Agency N a m e and Address

11.

Contract or Grant No.

13.

T y p e o f Report and P e r i o d Covered

Technical Note

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, D.C. 20546

14. Sponsoring Agency C o d e

115. Supplementary N o t e s

16. A b s t r a c t
A technique is described for simulating the impacts of semi-infinite targets by low-density, low-fineness ratio cylinders at
meteoroid velocities by impacting high-density, low-velocity projectiles. Conditions for simulation a r e stated and embodied in a
model forming the basis of the technique. The feasibility of the technique is experimentally investigated by simulating the impacts
of semi-infinite aluminum targets by polyethylene plastic cylinders of various low-fineness ratios and the same velocity of
11.3 km/sec. The penetrations were simulated at lower velocities to within 10 percent by impacting aluminum, steel, nickel, and
copper projectiles, but only to within 30 percent by impacting platinum projectiles. In application of the technique, the impacts of
semi-infinite aluminum targets by cylinders of polyethylene and porous aluminum (0.44 g/cmS) at velocities of 15.2 and 22 km/set
respectively, were simulated.

17.

K e y Words

18. D i s t r i b u t i o n Statement

Suggested by Author(s)

Unclassified

Meteoroids
Hypervelocity Impact
Projectile
Simulation

19.

Security C l a s s i f . ( o f t h i s report)

20.

Security C l a s s i f . (of t h i s page)

- Unlimited

21.

No. o f P a g e s

22. P r i c e *

34
Unclassified

Unclassified

*For sale by t h e Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information

Springfield, Virginia 22151

$3.00

SYMBOLS

Ai

a r e a of p o r t i o n

speed of sound

diameter of c y l i n d e r

s p e c i f i c i n t e r n a l energy

i n t e r f a c e between impacting materials

p o r t i o n of i n t e r f a c e i n s i d e boundary d e f i n e d by p o i n t s of i n t e r s e c t i o n
of c y l i n d e r ' s r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n with i n t e r f a c e

impulse given t o t a r g e t m a t e r i a l i n time

p o r t i o n i of i n t e r f a c e

constant

l e n g t h of c y l i n d e r

mass of c y l i n d e r

p e n e t r a t i o n (maximum depth of c r a t e r ) measured from undisturbed

target surface

p r e s s u re

r a r e f a c t i o n (head o f r a r e f a c t i o n wave)

r a d i a l coordinate

shock wave

time measured from i n s t a n t of impact

tl

time f o r shock wave t o reach rear f a c e of impacting c y l i n d e r

t2

time a t which a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n reaches i n t e r f a c e

v e l o c i t y of one-dimensional shock wave r e l a t i v e t o undisturbed medium

mass v e l o c i t y behind one-dimensional shock wave r e l a t i v e t o

undisturbed medium

v e l o c i t y of c y l i n d e r a t impact

a x i a l coordinate

of i n t e r f a c e

t 2 by p r e s s u r e s a c t i n g a t

iii

dimensionless parameter d e f i n e d by equation ( 9 )

1-I=r7-1
P

density
Subscripts
Hug o n i o t s t a t e
i n i t i a l state
p r o j e c t i l e o r cylinder material
radial direction
t a r g e t mat e r i a 1

axial direction
impact case o f low-density c y l i n d e r
impact c a s e o f s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e

iv

SIMULATION OF METEOROID-VELOCITY IMPACT BY USE OF

DENSE PROJECTILES

By Robert H. Morrison
Ames Research Center
SUMMARY
A technique i s d e s c r i b e d f o r s i m u l a t i n g t h e impacts of s e m i - i n f i n i t e
t a r g e t s by low-density, l o w - f i n e n e s s - r a t i o c y l i n d e r s a t meteoroid v e l o c i t i e s
by impacting h i g h - d e n s i t y , low-velocity p r o j e c t i l e s . Conditions f o r simulat i o n a r e s t a t e d and embodied i n a model forming t h e b a s i s of t h e technique.
The f e a s i b i l i t y of t h e technique i s experimentally i n v e s t i g a t e d by s i m u l a t i n g
t h e impacts of s e m i - i n f i n i t e aluminum t a r g e t s by polyethylene p l a s t i c c y l i n ders of various low-fineness r a t i o s and t h e same v e l o c i t y of 11.3 km/sec.
The p e n e t r a t i o n s were simulated a t lower v e l o c i t i e s t o w i t h i n 10 p e r c e n t by
impacting aluminum, s t e e l , n i c k e l , and copper p r o j e c t i l e s , b u t only t o w i t h i n
30 percent by impacting platinum p r o j e c t i l e s . In a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e technique, t h e impacts of s e m i - i n f i n i t e aluminum t a r g e t s by c y l i n d e r s of polye t h y l e n e and porous aluminum (0.44 g/cm3) a t v e l o c i t i e s of 15.2 and 22 km/sec,
r e s p e c t i v e l y , were s i m u l a t e d .

INTRODUCTION
The s i m u l a t i o n of meteoroid impact h a s , f o r t h e most p a r t , been beyond
t h e c a p a b i l i t i e s of light-gas-gun f a c i l i t i e s . The h i g h e s t impact v e l o c i t y
a t t a i n e d i n t h e s e f a c i l i t i e s , 11.3 km/sec, i s j u s t a t t h e lower end of t h e
meteoroid v e l o c i t y spectrum of 11 t o 73 km/sec ( r e f . 1 ) .

This v e l o c i t y ( r e f . 2) was obtained with a low-density, p l a s t i c c y l i n d e r

t h a t impacted an aluminum t a r g e t . C a l c u l a t i o n s i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e i n i t i a l
p r e s s u r e produced i n t h e t a r g e t m a t e r i a l by t h i s impact i s l e s s than t h a t
produced by much slower, h i g h e r d e n s i t y p r o j e c t i l e s . This observation sugg e s t s t h a t with t h e proper dimensions and v e l o c i t i e s , h i g h e r d e n s i t y p r o j e c t i l e s could generate p r e s s u r e p u l s e s i n t h e t a r g e t m a t e r i a l which would
approximate t h a t generated by t h e p l a s t i c c y l i n d e r impacting a t a v e l o c i t y
exceeding 1 1 . 3 km/sec, and t h e p r o j e c t i l e s thereby could s i m u l a t e , t o some
degree, i t s impact damage a t p r e s e n t l y u n a t t a i n a b l e v e l o c i t i e s . In t h e same
manner, t h e impacts of low-density meteoroids a t h i g h e r v e l o c i t i e s could b e
simulated.
A s a s t e p toward t h i s g o a l , design c r i t e r i a a r e h e r e i n proposed f o r t h e
dimensions and v e l o c i t i e s o f dense p r o j e c t i l e s t o s i m u l a t e t h e impacts of
low-density, l o w - f i n e n e s s - r a t i o c y l i n d e r s a t meteoroid v e l o c i t i e s . The model
i n which t h e s e c r i t e r i a a r e given and t h e r e s u l t s of experiments designed t o

t e s t t h e technique a r e p r e s e n t e d . P e n e t r a t i o n d a t a are included f o r e f f e c t i v e l y s e m i - i n f i n i t e 2024-T351 aluminum t a r g e t s impacted by aluminum, s t e e l ,

n i c k e l , copper, and platinum c y l i n d e r s a t v e l o c i t i e s ranging from 4.41 t o
8 . 3 5 km/sec.
THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS

E a r l y Stages of Hypervelocity Impact

During t h e e a r l y s t a g e s of h y p e r v e l o c i t y impact, much of t h e process
can b e analyzed i n terms of h i g h l y s i m p l i f i e d flows: one-dimensional flow
behind a normal shock and expansion-wave heads propagating from f r e e s u r f a c e s
through m a t e r i a l a t uniform p r e s s u r e . If enough o f t h e impulse given t o t h e
t a r g e t occurs during t h i s "simple".part of t h e flow, ,it should be p o s s i b l e
t o d e f i n e conditions f o r impact ,equivalence between p r o j e c t i l e s of widely
d i f f e r e n t physical properties.

. The axisymmetric, h y p e r v e l o c i t y impact of a s e m i - i n f i n i t e , t a r g e t by a lowf i n e n e s s - r a t i o c y l i n d e r i s d e p i c t e d a t t h e i n s t a n t of impact i n f i g u r e 1. The

c y l i n d e r ' s v e l o c i t y v, diameter d, length 2, and i n i t i a l d e n s i t y pop,
which in t h e general case i s d i f f e r e n t ' f r o m ~ t h ei n i t i a l d e n s i t y o f t h e t a r g e t ,
pot, a r e i n d i c a t e d . The orthogonal coordinate system x - r i s f i x e d i n t h e
t a r g e t with t h e x axis coinciding with t h e a x i s of t h e c y l i n d e r . From t h e
i n s t a n t of impact, t h e m a t e r i a l s of both t h e c y l i n d e r and t h e t a r g e t w i l l b e
compressed t o very high p r e s s u r e s by shock waves. These p r e s s u r e s , g r e a t l y
exceeding t h e s t r e n g t h s of both m a t e r i a l s , w i l l s t a r t a nonsteady, t h r e e dimensional compressible flow.
I

The s a l i e n t f e a t u r e s of t h i s compressible flow a t two e a r l y times a f t e r

impact a r e shown .in f i g u r e 2, f o r a case where t h e speed of sound a t t h e
i n i t i a l impact (Hugoniot) p r e s s u r e i n t h e c y l i n d e r m a t e r i a l i s l e s s than t h a t
of t h e t a r g e t m a t e r i a l .
,
'
I n f i g u r e 2(a) t h e wave p a t t e r n of t h i s flow i n a c r o s s - s e c t i o n a l p l a n e
through t h e x l a x i s has been e s t i m a t e d f o r a time soon af.t-er impact. The
shock waves Sp and S t . a r e shown propagating away from t h e i n t e r f a c e I
between t h e m a t e r i a l s of t h e c y l i n d e r and t a r g e t , compressing t h e s e respect i v e m a t e r i a l s . Also shown a r e t h e heads. Rrp and R r t of t h e r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n waves, which s t a r t inward a t t h e i n s t a n t of impact from t h e s u r f a c e
of t h e c y l i n d e r . Since t h e speed of sound i n t h e t a r g e t m a t e r i a l i s g r e a t e r ,
t h e r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n i n t h i s m a t e r i a l precedes t h a t i n t h e c y l i n d e r material
along the i n t e r f a c e . Because p r e s s u r e waves a r e t r a n s m i t t e d across t h e
i n t e r f a c e , expansion Mach waves a r e formed i n t h e c y l i n d e r n l a t e r i a l . However,
i n f i g u r e 2 , t h e c y l i n d e r ' s r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n i s shown as though i t s propag a t i o n were u n a f f e c t e d by t h e s e expansions. When t h e speed of sound a t
impact i s g r e a t e r i n t h e c y l i n d e r m a t e r i a l , Mach waves a r e generated i n t h e
t a r g e t m a t e r i a l i n s t e a d . ( I n s i m i l a r m a t e r i a l s , no such waves a r e formed.)
A r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n and t h e a s s o c i a t e d Mach waves form a boundary, i n s i d e of
which t h e flow i s s t i l l one-dimensional and t h e two shock waves and t h e
'1

i n t e r f a c e are p l a n a r . Outside t h i s boulqdary , t h e flow i s three-dimensional

and t h e shock waves and i n t e r f a c e are curved.
I

>

A t a l a t e r t i m e , t h e shock Sp w i l l \ h a v e r e f l e c t e d from t h e c y l i n d e r ' s

r e a r f a c e as a r a r e f a c t i o n : The wave ,pat'tern .at t h i s time i s e s t i m a t e d i n
s i n the target material,
f i g u r e , Z ( b ) . Shown ,again are ,the r a d i a l r a r e f a c
which by t h i s time a r e , approaching t h e
i n g g e n e t m t e d p o s t of
t h e one-dimepsional flo.w,. I n s i d e t h e r e
. b y t h e r a d i a l expansion.
system, t h e a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n ,head, Rxp remains p l a n a r .
I

The m a t e r i a l and wave motions o c c u r r i n g along t h e , x , a x i s during thesk

e a r l y s t a g e s of t h e impact a r e b e t t e r shown i n t h e waye diagram .of f i g p r e 3 . .
The shock wave
propagates through t h e c y l i n d e r and, upon encountering
Sp
t h e c y l i n d e r ' s r e a r f a c e a t time t l , i s r e f l e c t e d as t h e a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n
Rxp, which s t a r t s t h e i s e n t r o p i c r e l e a s e of t h e m a t e r i a l from t h e Hugoniot
p r e s s u r e . Subsequently, a t time t 2 5 t h e a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n overtakes t h e
i n t e r f a c e I . F o r t h e f i n e n e s s r a t i o s b e i n g considered, t h e a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n a r r i v e s a t t h i s p o i n t b e f o r e e i t h e r of t h e r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n s .
'The cylinder velocity v
t h e wave, a r r i v a l times t l -and t2. may
a l l be r e l a t e d t o t h e impa\cting l i n d e r . ' ~ dimensions. and t h e one-dimensional
flow parameters ( s e e appendix A). These parameters a r e t h e speeds U and u,
r e l a t i v e ' t o t h e undisturbed medium,, of t h e shock wave and t h e - compressed
m a t e r i a l , respe+c$ively, and t h e s p e e d of sound CH, i n t h i s compressed mater i a l a t p r e s s u r e p ~ . .These parameters, may b e calculated. for. various:. mate-,
r i a l s and any given p r e s s u r e p ~ , - a si n d i c a t e d i n appendix B . The
are
v = u p + u t
(1)

where

. .

nv = U/(U
The flow parameters
cylinder (subscript
pressure.
: .

u)

u , U , and CH must b e e v a l u a t e d f o r t h e m a t e r i a l s of t h e
p) and t h e t a r g e t ( s u b s c r i p t t ) a t t h e same Hugoniot

Simulation Model
3

I t i s p o s t u l a t e d t h a t th.e i n i t i a l p a r t .of t h e p r e s s u r e p u l s e generated

i n a s e m i - i n f i n i t e t a r g e t by a e hypqrvelocity'impact of a low-density, lowf i n e n e s s - r a t i o c y l i n d e r can b e simulated and t h a t t h i s impact can thereby b e
simulated with t h e impact of a slower, h i g h e r d e n s i t y c y l i n d r i c a l p r o j e c t i l e
i f t h e following c o n d i t i o n s a r e met. The Hugoniot p r e s s u r e p
and t h e
H

a r r i v a l time t 2 o f t h e a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n a t t h e i n t e r f a c e are t o be t h e
same f o r both cases. Furthermore, t h e same impulse J i s t o be given t o
t h e t a r g e t material i n t h i s time by p r e s s u r e s a c t i n g a t t h e p o r t i o n i of
t h e i n t e r f a c e i n s i d e t h e boundary t h a t i s d e l i n e a t e d by t h e p o i n t s o f i n t e r s e c t i o n of t h e c y l i n d e r ' s r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n w i t h t h i s i n t e r f a c e . To d e l i n e a t e t h i s boundary, t h e assumptions are made t h a t t h e precedence o f a t a r g e t ' s
r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n causes a n e g l i g i b l e r e d u c t i o n i n t h e p r e s s u r e a t t h e i n t e r face from t h e Hugoniot p r e s s u r e pH b e f o r e t h e a r r i v a l o f t h e c y l i n d e r ' s
r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n , and t h a t t h i s precedence t h e r e f o r e has a n e g l i g i b l e e f f e c t
on t h e l a t t e r wave's propagation. Thus, t h e p o r t i o n i of t h e i n t e r f a c e i s
approximately p l a n a r and a t a c o n s t a n t p r e s s u r e PH. The above c o n d i t i o n s f o r
s i m u l a t i o n may be w r i t t e n , r e s p e c t i v e l y , as

t 2 u = t2l.l

= J

1-I

where t h e s u b s c r i p t s 1-1 and u denote t h e impact cases of t h e lower d e n s i t y

c y l i n d e r and t h e s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e , r e s p e c t i v e l y .
The preceding c o n d i t i o n s and assumptions are s u f f i c i e n t t o s p e c i f y t h e
v e l o c i t y , l e n g t h , and f i n e n e s s r a t i o o f a s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e i n terms o f
t h e s e same q u a n t i t i e s f o r t h e low-density c y l i n d e r and t h e one-dimensional
flow parameters. The v e l o c i t y of t h i s p r o j e c t i l e i s d e r i v e d by s u b s t i t u t i n g
e q u a t i o n (1) i n t o t h e equation
u

tu

= u

tu

which i s i n p l i e d by t h e c o n d i t i o n o f equation (4).

obtained is
v

= v
1-I

The v e l o c i t y t h u s

+ u
- u
PCJ
P1-I

The l e n g t h of t h i s p r o j e c t i l e i s o b t a i n e d from equations (Sa) and (3) as

I t s f i n e n e s s r a t i o i s d e r i v e d from equation (6a) by f i r s t developing an

e x p r e s s i o n f o r t h e impulse J as follows. I f A i i s t h e area of t h e p o r t i o n
i of t h e i n t e r f a c e , t h e impulse J may be expressed as
J

=/

t2

pHA .i d t = p H 1 2Ai d t
0

However, t h e area
4

Ai

is given by

Ai =

7
R (d

2 c ~ ~2 t )

S u b s t i t u t i n g t h i s e x p r e s s i o n f o r A i i n t o t h e one f o r J , performing t h e
i n t e g r a t i o n , and r e a r r a n g i n g t h e r e s u l t a n t expression y i e l d s
R

J = -p

t3$ 6

4 H 2 p

where

i s a dimensionless parameter d e f i n e d as

e =

l.,(l/up

1 2

1
+

)(w)-

1/11HPCHP
'

+ -1

(9)

If t h e l a t t e r e x p r e s s i o n f o r J i s s u b s t i t u t e d and t h e c o n d i t i o n s of equat i o n s (4) and (Sa) are a p p l i e d , equation (6a) becomes

By use of t h e i d e n t i t y of equation (9), t h e p r o j e c t i l e ' s f i n e n e s s r a t i o i s

i s r e l a t e d t o t h e low-density c y l i n d e r ' s p r o p e r t i e s by
where
equation (6b).
I n summary, t h e v e l o c i t y , l e n g t h , and f i n e n e s s r a t i o of a c y l i n d r i c a l
p r o j e c t i l e t o s i m u l a t e t h e impact o f a low-density, l o w - f i n e n e s s - r a t i o
c y l i n d e r are given, r e s p e c t i v e l y , by t h e equations
v

= v
0

lJ

+ u
- u
PO
PlJ

-.

and
1

GH
I

.,

= U/(U

- u)

EXPERIMENTS

The experimental i n v e s t i g a t i o n .consisted of two parts., F i r s t , t h e

a p p l i c a b i l i t y o f t h e preceding s i m u l a t i o n r e l a t i o n s h i p s was determined by
s i m u l a t i n g t h e impact of t h e p r e v i o u s l y mentioned p l a s t i c c y l i n d e r o f r e f erence 2 . The c y l i n d e r was polyethylene with a d e n s i t y 'of 0 . 9 5 g/cm3 and a
f i n e n e s s r a t i o o f 1/3. . T& examine somewhat-more g e n e r a l l y t h e a p p l i c a b i l i t y
of t h e s i m u l a t i o n techniqde, t h e impacts of polyethylene c y l i n d e r s with lower
f i n e n e s s r a t i o s and t h e same v e l o c i t y (1'1.3 km/s'ec) were a l s o simulated. I n
t h e second p a r t of t h e experimental i n v e s t i g a t i o n , an impact of t h e 1/3fineness-ratiio polyethylene c y l i n d e r was simulated a t a higher. vel.ocity o f
15.2 km/sec. For each s i f i u l a t i o h ; t h e * p e r f e t r a t i o n ( t a r g e t - c r a t e r depth) so
obtained was compared with t h a t e s t i m a t e d from
P/d = 0.34(Z/d)

1/4v~2/3

( r e f . 3 ) , k h i c h i s a p p l i c a b l e t o t h e h y p e r v e l o c i t y impact of '2024-TZ51 aluminum by polyethylene. c-y l i _n d e r s with f i n e n e s s r a t i o s from 1/6 t o 1.

To s i m u l a t e t h e impacts i n t h e f i r s p a r t of t h e experimental i n v e s t i g a t i o n , t h e following p r o j e c t i l e materials were used: 2024-T351 aluminum, AIS1
1018 s t e e l , pure n i c k e l , OFHC-copper, and p u r e platinum. For t h e second p a r t ,
only OFHC copper was used. The v e l o c i t i e s of t h e v a r i o u s s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e s f o r y i e l d i n g Hugoniot p r e s s u r e s of 1.05 and 1.70 megabars and t h u s
simulat'ing p o l y e t h y l e n e impactin'g a t 1 1 . 3 and 1 5 , 2 :km/see, r e s p e g t i v e I y , 'are
l i s t e d i n & a b l e 1. The v e l o c i t i e s were c a l c u l a t e d f o r each p r e s s u r e from
equation (7b) by s u b s t i t u t i n g t h e v e l o c i t y of polyethylene f o r v
and tliie
P
values c a l c u l a t e d as i n d i c a t e d i n appendix B f o r u
and u .
PO
PV
P r o j e c t i l e s of t h e s e materials were machined with diameters n e a r 5 mm
and v a r i o u s low-fineness r a t i o s . The diameters and lengths were measured t o
w i t h i n 0.06 and 0.6 p e r c e n t , r e s p e c t i v e l y . ' The p r o j e c t i l e s were t h e n
launched, sabot-mounted, a t t h e r e q u i r e d v e l o c i t i e s . i n t h e b a l l i s t i c ranges
employed i n t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n s o f r e f e r e n c e s 2 and 4. The l i g h t gas guns o f
t h e s e ranges were equipped with r i f l e b a r r e l s , which imparted s p i n t o t h e
p r o j e c t i l e s t o ensure a t t i t u d e n e a r zero angle of a t t a c k and s e p a r a t i o n o f
t h e segmented s a b o p . Spark shadowgraphs taken a t ,numerous s t a t i o n s on t h e s e
r o j e c t i l e s i n f l i g h t and thereby
ranges provided okthogonal viewst of t h
gave c o n d i t i o n and a t t i t u d e d a t a . The angles of a t t a c k d i d n o t exceed 5'
and t h e r e f o r e were i n t h e range found i n r e f e r e n c e 3, f o r which any anomalies
due t o angles. o f a t t a c k a r e outweighed by t h e i n h e r e n t v a r i a t i o n i n c r a t e r
formation. These shadowgraphs , t o g e t h e r with t h e measprements f o r i n t e r v a l s
s t a n c ? ; between t h e s t a t i o n s , - made poss$b41e i n each case a
o f t h e impact v e l o c i t y t o w i t h i n
p e r c* e. b t . ' I '
e _ .

The t a r g e t s w e r e of t h e same material (2024-T351 aluminum) and s i z e

(10 x 10 x 5 . 1 cm) as t h o s e o f ' r e f e r e n c e s 2 and 3. The depths of t h e r e s u l t a n t c r a t e r s were measured r e l a t i v e t o t h e undisturbed t a r g e t f a c e t o w i t h i n
0 . 6 p e r c e n t by an e s p e c i a l l y adapted d i a l i n d i c a t o r .
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The p e r t i n e n t d a t a and t h e r e s u l t s o f t h e simulation' t e s t s are given i n
t a b l e s 2 and 3, r e s p e c t i v e l y . I n t a b l e 3, t h e dimensionlkss pene'tration
(P/d),, corresponding t o t h e v e l o c i t y w,, t o g e t h e r with t h e d e n s i t y p o q ,
length Z,, and f i n e n e s s r a t i o [Z/d),, i s l i s t e d f o r each s i m u l z t i n g p r o j a c of t h e polyt i l e . The v e l o c i t y v,,, l e n g t h Z,, and f i n e n e s s r a t i o (Z/d)
ethylene c y l i n d e r whose p e n e t r a t i o n P,
was simulated by eact p r o j e c t i l e and
t h e p e n e t r a t i o n of t h i s , p r o j e c t i l e normalized with r e s p e c t t o t h a t estimated
f o r t h e corresponding polyethylene c y l i n d e r P,/P; ' . are a l s o l i s t e d : ' I n addit i o n , t h e maximum d e v i a t i o n o f t h e dimensionless p e n e t r a t i o n 'P/d' i s given
f o r each p r o j e c t i l e from a curve d e s c r i b e d b y ' a n equation of t h e form
P/d = Kv2i3 and f i t t e d t o t h e d a t a by t h e method of l e a s t s q u a r e s . This
r e l a t i o n between p e n e t r a t i o n and impact v e l o c i t y was shown t o apply f o r
h y p e r v e l o c i t y impact up t o t h e 11.3 km/sec i n r e f e r e n c e 2 , The, maximum"
d e v i a t i o n o f P/d, w i t h i n 3 p e r c e n t f o r each case where s e v e r a l d a t a - p o i n t s
were obtained, shows t h a t t h i s r e l a t i o n adequately d e s c r i b e s t h e d a t a over. t h e
v e l o c i t y range t e s t e d . I n each c a s e , t h e equation was used t o e s t i m a t e (P/d),
a t t h e s i m u l h t i n g v e l o c i t y v,.
The l e n g t h ' Z, and (Z/d),,
were c a l c u l a t e d
\'
by means of e q u a t i o n s ' (5b) and ( l o ) , r e s p e c t i v e l y ; whereas t h e normalized
p e n e t r a t i o n was c a l c u l a t e d from t h e - equation
A

" )

..

which is d e r i v e d by s u b s t i t u t i n g e q u a t i o n s (5b) and'(11) i n t o t h e i d e n t i t y

P,
_
--

(P/d),

(Z/d),,

p,

(P/d),

(Z/d).

2,

z,

,
i

I n using equation (12) f o r t h e smallest f i n e n e s s r a t i o aluminum p r o ' j e c t i l ?e

and i t s corresponding 0 . 1 1 8 - f i n e n e s s ' r a t i o polyethylene c y l i n d e r , i t was
assumed t h a t t h e Z/d r e l a t i o n o f e q u a t i o n (11) s t i l l h e l d , '

F o r each s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e , t h e normalized p e n e t r a t i o n P,/Pb

is
p l o t t e d v e r s u s t h e f i n e n e s s r a t i o (Z/d),
o f t h e c o r r e s p m d i n g .polyethylene
c y l i n d e r i n f i g u r e 4. T h i s f i g u r e and t a b l e 3 show t h a t t h e 'aluminum, steel,'
n i c k e l , and copper p r o j e c t i l e s , having f i n e n e s s r a t i o s 'from 0,0816 t o 0 . 2 2 4 ,
simulated w i t h good accuracy ( t o w i t h i n 10 p e r c e n t ) t h e p e n e t r a t i b n s 'of t h e i r
corresponding polyethylene c y l i n d e r s , having f i n e n e s s r a t i o s from 0.118 t o
7

0.313. However, poor r e s u l t s were obtained with t h e platinum p r o j e c t i l e s ,

s i n c e t h e p e n e t r a t i o n s were deeper than t h o s e of t h e i r corresponding
polyethylene c y l i n d e r s by as much as 30 p e r c e n t .
The intpacts o f t h e s t e e l , n i c k e l , copper, and platinum s i m u l a t i n g proj e c t i l e s correspond t o t h e p r e v i o u s l y d i s c u s s e d case o f f i g u r e 2 , where t h e
speed of sound i n t h e t a r g e t material a t high p r e s s u r e i s g r e a t e r than t h a t
of t h e c y l i n d e r material, and t h e r e f o r e t h e r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n i n t h e t a r g e t
precedes t h a t i n t h e c y l i n d e r along t h e i n t e r f a c e . For t h e impacts of t h e
corresponding polyethylene c y l i n d e r s , t h e opposite i s t r u e . The f i n e n e s s
r a t i o of each s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e and i t s corresponding polyethylene c y l i n d e r , however, was s u f f i c i e n t l y low t h a t t h e a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n reached t h e
p o i n t on t h e a x i s a t t h e i n t e r f a c e before e i t h e r of t h e r a d i a l r a r e f a c t i o n s .
The poor r e s u l t s obtained with t h e platinum p r o j e c t i l e s cannot be a t t r i b uted s o l e l y t o experimental e r r o r s s i n c e t h e s e e r r o r s were no l a r g e r than
those f o r t h e smallest f i n e n e s s r a t i o aluminum p r o j e c t i l e , which simulated
c l o s e l y t h e polyethylene impact. Nor i s t h e v a r i a t i o n i n c r a t e r depths, as
r e p r e s e n t e d by t h e m a x i m u m d e v i a t i o n of P/d from t h e f i t t e d curve, l a r g e
enough t o account f o r t h e 20 t o 30 p e r c e n t deeper p e n e t r a t i o n of platinum
s i n c e t h i s d e v i a t i o n was only 1 p e r c e n t . Although a d i f f e r e n t equation of
s t a t e was used i n c a l c u l a t i n g t h e one-dimensional flow parameters f o r p l a t i num ( s e e appendix B ) , i t s use a l s o i s n o t thought t o b e s o l e l y r e s p o n s i b l e
f o r t h e much deeper p e n e t r a t i o n s .
Rather, t h e poor r e s u l t s obtained with t h e platinum p r o j e c t i l e s a r e
probably due t o t h e r a d i a l and a x i a l expansions of p r o j e c t i l e m a t e r i a l being
much slower i n each of t h e s e cases subsequent t o time t 2 . The slower r a d i a l
expansion i s e v i d e n t from t a b l e 4 where i t i s shown t h a t , d e s p i t e s e l e c t i o n
of f i n e n e s s r a t i o and length t o d u p l i c a t e t h e impulse J of t h e impact of
t h e 1 / 3 - f i n e n e s s - r a t i o polyethylene c y l i n d e r , t h e a r e a of t h e one-dimensional
flow a t time t 2 i s much l a r g e r than i n t h e polyethylene c a s e , The same i s
t r u e f o r s i m u l a t i o n with copper and aluminum, b u t t o a l e s s e r e x t e n t , The
slower a x i a l expansion, on t h e o t h e r hand, i s evident i f one considers t h e
r e f l e c t i o n of t h e a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n from t h e i n t e r f a c e , which must occur f o r
impacts of d i s s i m i l a r m a t e r i a l s because of t h e a c o u s t i c mismatch p r e s e n t
t h e r e . The much g r e a t e r a c o u s t i c impedance of t h e platinum causes a l a r g e
n e g a t i v e r e f l e c t i o n of t h e a x i a l r a r e f a c t i o n , which, i n t u r n , causes t h e i n i t i a l p r e s s u r e decay a t t h e p o r t i o n i o f t h e i n t e r f a c e t o be much slower t h a n
f o r t h e polyethylene case where a p o s i t i v e r e f l e c t i o n occurs. The p r e s s u r e
decay i s a l s o slower f o r s i m u l a t i o n s with copper and aluminum, b u t again t o a
l e s s e r e x t e n t . The much slower r a d i a l and a x i a l expansions i n t h e platinum
cause t h e shock p r e s s u r e i n t h e aluminum t a r g e t t o b e s u s t a i n e d t o g r e a t e r
depths, thus producing g r e a t e r p e n e t r a t i o n s . This suggests t h e inadequacy of
t h e simple c r i t e r i a f o r p r o j e c t i l e dimensions when t h e p h y s i c a l p r o p e r t i e s o f
t h e p r o j e c t i l e m a t e r i a l s d i f f e r v a s t l y from those of t h e low-density c y l i n d e r ,
However, t h e use of such p r o j e c t i l e m a t e r i a l s i n simulating a c t u a l meteoroid
impacts t o develop a design c r i t e r i o n would r e s u l t i n an overestimation of
meteoroid p e n e t r a t i o n a b i l i t y and, t h e r e f o r e , l e a d t o a conservative design
f o r meteoroid p r o t e c t i o n .

P r o f i l e s of t h e craters produced by t h e s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e s impacting

a t Hugoniot p r e s s u r e s n e a r 1.05 megabar are d e p i c t e d i n f i g u r e 5 . A s can b e
seen from t h e photographs, t h e c r a t e r shapes a r e more c o n i c a l than hemispheri c a l , which was t h e r e s u l t o b t a i n e d i n r e f e r e n c e 2 f o r t h e impact of t h e high
speed polyethylene c y l i n d e r (see f i g . 6 ) . However, i n comp'arison, t h e craters made by t h e platinum p r o j e c t i l e s have r e l a t i v e l y f l a t bottoms. The
c r a t e r s f o r t h e aluminum, copper, and platinum p r o j e c t i l e s of f i n e n e s s r a t i o s
0.224, 0.151, and 0.122, r e s p e c t i v e l y , (see f i g s . 5 ( a ) , ( d ) , and ( e ) ) n e a r l y
s i m u l a t e t h e impact of t h e 1 / 3 - f i n e n e s s - r a t i o polyethylene c y l i n d e r of reference 2. Their p r o f i l e s are compared i n f i g u r e 7. Except f o r t h e platinum
impact c r a t e r , t h e s e c r a t e r s are very s i m i l a r t o t h a t produced by t h e polyethylene cylinder.
The r e s u l t s of t h e t e s t s i n d i c a t e t h e f e a s i b i l i t y of using slower moving
b u t more dense p r o j e c t i l e s t o s i m u l a t e t h e impacts o f s e m i - i n f i n i t e t a r g e t s
by low-density, l o w - f i n e n e s s - r a t i o c y l i n d e r s a t meteoroid v e l o c i t i e s . I t i s
emphasized t h a t t h e technique i s r e s t r i c t e d t o impacts on s e m i - i n f i n i t e targ e t s , b u t an analogous t r e a t m e n t of t h i n - t a r g e t impact might prove u s e f u l .
I n p a r t i c u l a r , t h e technique can b e used f o r s i m u l a t i n g t h e impacts of lowf i n e n e s s - r a t i o c y l i n d e r s o f polyethylene and porous aluminum a t p r e s e n t l y
w a t t a i n a b l e meteoroid v e l o c i t i e s .
I n t h i s a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e technique, t h e impact o f a 1 / 3 - f i n e n e s s - r a t i o
polyethylene c y l i n d e r a t 15.2 km/sec was s i m u l a t e d by a copper p r o j e c t i l e .
The r e s u l t s a r e given i n t a b l e 3 and f i g u r e 8. The s i m u l a t e d p e n e t r a t i o n
agrees with t h a t e s t i m a t e d by e q u a t i o n (11) t o t h e same accuracy as t h a t
obtained f o r t h e lower v e l o c i t y s i m u l a t i o n . This agreement implies t h a t t h e
v e l o c i t y exponent o f t h i s equation a p p l i e s t o impacts of polyethylene a t
v e l o c i t i e s up t o 15 km/sec. I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t h a t t h e shape of t h e simulated
impact c r a t e r i n f i g u r e 8 i s more hemispherical than c o n i c a l , which i s a
r e s u l t j u s t o p p o s i t e t o t h a t o b t a i n e d f o r t h e lower v e l o c i t y s i m u l a t i o n .
A s a f u r t h e r a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e technique, t h e impacts of porous aluminum c y l i n d e r s with d e n s i t y of 0.44 g/cm3 t h a t are s i m u l a t e d by (1) t h e highv e l o c i t y polyethylene c y l i n d e r of r e f e r e n c e 2 and (2) t h e h i g h e s t v e l o c i t y
copper p r o j e c t i l e of t a b l e 3 were determined. The impacts of p a r t i c l e s with
t h i s d e n s i t y a r e of i n t e r e s t s i n c e v a r i o u s astronomers have suggested d e n s i t i e s of about t h i s value f o r cometary meteoroids ( r e f . 5) which are thought t o
b e porous. The r e s u l t s are given i n t a b l e 5 , which l i s t s t h e v e l o c i t y v,,,
l e n g t h 2, , f i n e n e s s r a t i o (Z/d) , t h e dimensionless p e n e t r a t i o n (P/d) 1-1 ,
and t h e r a t i o of t h e p e n e t r a t i o n t o t h e cube r o o t o f t h e mass (P/m1/3),, f o r
t h e s i m u l a t e d porous aluminum c y l i n d e r s . These q u a n t i t i e s were c a l c u l a t e d
from t h e d a t a f o r t h e s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e s by u s i n g t h e values o f t h e onedimensional flow parameters f o r t h e porous aluminum as obtained from t h e
appendixes of r e f e r e n c e s 6 and 7. Also l i s t e d i n t a b l e 5 f o r comparison i s
t h e r a t i o (P/m1/3),, f o r t h e impact o f s e m i - i n f i n i t e aluminum by an aluminum
c y l i n d e r with t h e same p o r o s i t y and v e l o c i t y as t h e simulated c y l i n d e r s , b u t
with a f i n e n e s s r a t i o o f u n i t y . The r a t i o i n t h i s case was determined from
the theoretical r e s u l t s of reference 6.

The v e l o c i t i e s o f t h e porous aluminum p r o j e c t i l e s , t h e impacts o f which

were simulated by t h e r e f e r e n c e d polyethylene c y l i n d e r and t h e copper p r o j e c t i l e , r e p r e s e n t g a i n s of 59 and 95 p e r c e n t , r e s p e c t i v e l y , over t h e v e l o c i t y
of t h e r e f e r e n c e d c y l i n d e r . However, t h e p e n e t r a t i o n simulated by copper
probably overestimates t h a t which would a c t u a l l y be produced by t h e porous
aluminum c y l i n d e r s i n c e t h e p h y s i c a l p r o p e r t i e s o f t h e s e two materials d i f f e r
v a s t l y . I n f a c t , t h e p e n e t r a t i o n simulated by copper i s about 10 p e r c e n t
g r e a t e r than t h a t p r e d i c t e d by e x t r a p o l a t i n g from t e p e n e t r a t i o n simulated
by polyethylene according t o t h e r e l a t i o n P/d 0: v2 3. Nevertheless, using
t h e s e simulated p e n e t r a t i o n s i n determining r e q u i r e d meteoroid p r o t e c t i o n f o r
s p a c e c r a f t should l e a d t o a c o n s e r v a t i v e d e s i g n .

f o r t h e simulated porous aluminum c y l i n d e r s do

The r a t i o s (P/m1/3),
n o t n e c e s s a r i l y apply t o impacts o f c y l i n d e r s of o t h e r f i n e n e s s r a t i o s , b u t
t h e s e r a t i o s do a g r e e r a t h e r well w i t h t h o s e obtained t h e o r e t i c a l l y f o r t h e
u n i t - f i n e n e s s - r a t i o c y l i n d e r s . The maximum d i f f e r e n c e i s only about 10 p e r c e n t , which was o b t a i n e d f o r t h e impact simulated by copper, I f , f o r t h e
i s indeed n o t a f u n c t i o n of f i n e n e s s
porous aluminum c y l i n d e r s , (P/m1/3),
r a t i o , t h e n t h e r e i s no shape e f f e c t f o r t h e s e c y l i n d e r s similar t o t h a t
found f o r t h e impacts o f polyethylene c y l i n d e r s i n r e f e r e n c e 3.
CONCLUSIONS
The r e s u l t s of t h e t e s t s i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e p e n e t r a t i o n s i n t o semii n f i n i t e aluminum t a r g e t s by polyethylene c y l i n d e r s of v a r i o u s low-fineness
r a t i o s impacting a t 1 1 . 3 km/sec were simulated t o w i t h i n 10 p e r c e n t by t h e
impacts a t lower v e l o c i t i e s o f aluminum, s t e e l , n i c k e l , and copper p r o j e c t i l e s , b u t o n l y - t o w i t h i n 30 p e r c e n t by t h e impacts o f platinum p r o j e c t i l e s .
From t h e s e r e s u l t s i t i s concluded t h a t t h e technique i s f e a s i b l e f o r simul a t i n g t h e impacts of s e m i - i n f i n i t e t a r g e t s by low-density, low-finenessr a t i o c y l i n d e r s a t meteoroid v e l o c i t i e s , w i t h i n c e r t a i n l i m i t s . The
p r i n c i p a l l i m i t a t i o n seems t o be t h a t t h e sound speed i n t h e s i m u l a t i n g
p r o j e c t i l e cannot b e t o o small compared t o t h e sound speed i n t h e c y l i n d e r ,
t h e impact of which i s t o be simulated. The impacts o f s e m i - i n f i n i t e
2024-T351 aluminum t a r g e t s by c y l i n d e r s of polyethylene and porous aluminum
(0.44 g/cm3) a t v e l o c i t i e s o f 15.2 km/sec and 22 km/sec, r e s p e c t i v e l y , were
simulated by t h i s technique.
Ames Research Center
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Moffett F i e l d , C a l i f . , 94035, Nov. 5, 1969

10

APPENDIX A
DERIVATIONS
The v e l o c i t y v can b e r e l a t e d t o t h e one-dimensional flow parameters i f
t h e boundary conditions of equal p r e s s u r e and v e l o c i t y a r e a p p l i e d on e i t h e r
s i d e of t h e p l a n a r i n t e r f a c e (see f i g . 2 ) . These conditions a r e

and

v-up=ut
The f i r s t c o n d i t i o n r e q u i r e s t h a t t h e mass v e l o c i t i e s up and u t
a t t h e same p r e s s u r e pH, and t h e second y i e l d s t h e r e l a t i o n

b e evaluated

v = u p + u t

(A31

f o r the velocity.
The r e l a t i o n s f o r t h e a r r i v a l times t l and t2 can b e derived i n a
manner similar t o t h a t i n d i c a t e d i n r e f e r e n c e 8.

11

APPENDIX B

CALCULATION OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL FLOW PARAMETERS

The parameters o f t h e one-dimensional flow behind a p l a n a r shock wave
are obtained by a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e conservation laws of mass, momentum, and
energy across t h i s wave. By choosing a c o o r d i n a t e system f i x e d i n t h e
undisturbed medium, one may d e r i v e t h e familiar Rankine-Hugoniot equations

where U and u are t h e speeds, r e l a t i v e t o t h e undisturbed medium, o f t h e

shock wave and t h e shock-compressed material, r e s p e c t i v e l y . The symbols
p , p , and E r e p r e s e n t , r e s p e c t i v e l y , t h e p r e s s u r e , d e n s i t y , and s p e c i f i c
i n t e r n a l energy o f t h e material a t t h e i n i t i a l s t a t e ( s u b s c r i p t 0 ) and a t
t h e shocked Hugoniot s t a t e ( s u b s c r i p t H). For convenience, Eo may be
chosen t o be zero; and s i n c e f o r h y p e r v e l o c i t y impact PH >> po, t h e l a s t
two equations may be approximated as

where t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f equation (Bl) has been s u b s t i t u t e d .

To s o l v e f o r t h e f o u r unknowns 'H, PH, u, and U, a f o u r t h e q u a t i o n ,
t h e e q u a t i o n - o f - s t a t e of t h e m a t e r i a l , i s r e q u i r e d . I n t h i s r e p o r t , two
forms f o r t h i s e q u a t i o n were used f o r nonporous m a t e r i a l s . The f i r s t of
t h e s e is t h e semiempirical e q u a t i o n o f T i l l o t s o n ( r e f . 9),

where 17 = p/po, 1.1 = q - 1, and a, b , A, B, and Eo are c o n s t a n t s . The

values of t h e s e c o n s t a n t s f o r v a r i o u s materials a r e l i s t e d i n t a b l e 6 , as
given by o r adapted from r e f e r e n c e s 9 and 10. This formulation r e p r e s e n t s
a b e s t - f i t i n t e r p o l a t i o n between c a l c u l a t i o n s from Thomas-Fermi-Dirac t h e o r y
12

f o r very high p r e s s u r e s and experimental d a t a a t low p r e s s u r e s and i s

estimated t o be a c c u r a t e t o w i t h i n 5 p e r c e n t of t h e Hugoniot p r e s s u r e f o r
p r e s s u r e s below 5 megabars. The second form o f t h e equation of s t a t e (Enig,
r e f . 11) i s based on t h e "p-u mirror-image" approximation. This equation,

(the notation f o r

i n r e f . 11 i s

a ) makes use o f t h e l i n e a r approximation

(Co and S are e m p i r i c a l c o n s t a n t s ) , wh'ich i s a p p l i c a b l e f o r many materials

over a l a r g e p r e s s u r e range. The v a l u e s of t h e s e c o n s t a n t s f o r v a r i o u s mater i a l s and t h e range of p r e s s u r e s f o r which t h e y are a p p l i c a b l e , as o b t a i n e d
from r e f e r e n c e 1 2 , are l i s t e d i n t a b l e 7.

The flow parameters may a l l b e expressed i n terms o f t h e Hugoniot p r e s s u r e PH by e q u a t i o n s , t h e convenience of which i s determined by t h e
equation o f s t a t e used. If T i l l o t s o n ' s equation is used, t h e most convenient
equations f o r t h e s e parameters are

where CH is t h e speed o f sound i n t h e shocked medium a t t h e Hugoniot p r e s s u r e . The f i r s t two equations are o b t a i n e d by s o l v i n g equations (Bl) and
(B2b). The l a s t equation i s found by applying t h e d e f i n i t i o n of t h e speed o f
sound, c 2 = (ap/ap)s, t o equation (B4) and s u b s t i t u t i n g i n t o t h e r e s u l t
equation (B3b) and t h e thermodynamic r e l a t i o n ( a E / a p ) s = p/p2. The Hugoniot

13

p r e s s u r e pH i n t h e s e equations is given by equation (B4) as

pH = PH(PH,EH). However, i f equations (Bl) and (B3b) are s u b s t i t u t e d i n t o
t h i s equation f o r pH, rl
i s o b t a i n e d i m p l i c i t l y as nH = vH(pH). Therefore,
t h e flow parameters are ?unctions only o f t h e Hugoniot p r e s s u r e

CH =

cH(PH)

(B9b)

If E n i g ' s equation i s used, t h e most convenient equations f o r t h e s e parameters

are

Equation (B10) i s o b t a i n e d by s o l v i n g e q u a t i o n s (B2b) and (B6), whereas equat i o n (B11) i s o b t a i n e d by applying t h e d e f i n i t i o n of c t o equation (BS) and
s u b s t i t u t i n g i n t o t h e r e s u l t equations (Bl) and (B10).
F o r t h e s i m u l a t i o n t e s t s , t h e one-dimensional flow parameters were
c a l c u l a t e d by u s i n g T i l l o t s o n ' s e q u a t i o n f o r p o l y e t h y l e n e , 2024-T351 aluminum,
AIS1 1018 s t e e l , n i c k e l , and OFHC copper and by u s i n g Enig's equation f o r
platinum. For porous aluminum o f d e n s i t y of 0.44 g/cm3, t h e values of t h e s e
parameters were o b t a i n e d from t h e appendixes o f r e f e r e n c e s 6 and 7 . The use
o f E n i g ' s equation f o r platinum was n e c e s s a r y s i n c e t h e c o n s t a n t s o f
T i l l o t s o n ' s e q u a t i o n f o r t h i s material were n o t a v a i l a b l e . The c o n s t a n t s
used f o r polyethylene were adapted from t h o s e given i n r e f e r e n c e 10 f o r a
s l i g h t l y lower d e n s i t y polyethylene and a r e l i s t e d i n t a b l e 6 .

I n a d d i t i o n , it was assumed t h a t t h e equations of s t a t e f o r aluminum

and s t e e l a l l o y s could b e approximated by t h o s e f o r pure aluminum and pure
i r o n , r e s p e c t i v e l y . This approximation i s good i n t h e c a s e o f t h e aluminum
a l l o y , s i n c e t h e v a l u e s of u , U , and cH c a l c u l a t e d f o r t h i s m a t e r i a l a t
pH = 1.000 megabar by u s i n g E n i g ' s equation are w i t h i n 2 p e r c e n t of t h e corresponding values c a l c u l a t e d by u s i n g b o t h t h i s equation and t h a t of T i l l o t s o n
f o r pure aluminum.
Using Enig's equation t o c a l c u l a t e t h e one-dimensional flow parameters
f o r A l , Fe, N i , Cu, and W a t p~ = 1.000 megabar gives values t h a t agree well
with those c a l c u l a t e d by u s i n g T i l l o t s o n ' s equation. For each o f t h e s e mater i a l s , t h e values of u and t h e values o f cH, c a l c u l a t e d by u s i n g t h e two
d i f f e r e n t equations o f s t a t e , agree t o w i t h i n 1 p e r c e n t and 3 p e r c e n t ,

14

r e s p e c t i v e l y . Furthermore, t h e values of U agree t o within

each of t h e s e materials except F e , f o r which t h e values agree
6 p e r c e n t . The agreement of t h e s e v a l u e s provides confidence
o f t h e parameters f o r P t , f o r which only Enig's equation was

1 percent f o r
t o w i t h i n only
i n t h e values
used,

15

REFERENCES
1.

Cosby, W i l l i a m A . ; and Lyle, Robert G . :

The Meteoroid Environment and
I t s Effects on Materials and Equipment. NASA SP-78, 1965.

2.

Denardo, B . P a t : P e n e t r a t i o n o f P o l y e t h y l e n e i n t o S e m i - I n f i n i t e
2024-T351 Aluminum up t o V e l o c i t i e s o f 37,000 Feet Per Second.
NASA TN D-3369, 1966.

3.

Denardo, B . P a t : P r o j e c t i l e Shape Effects on Hypervelocity Impact

C r a t e r s i n Aluminum. NASA TN D-4953, 1968.

4.

An Experimental I n v e s t i g a t i o n
Nysmith, C . Robert; and Summers, James L . :
o f t h e Impact R e s i s t a n c e o f Double-Sheet S t r u c t u r e s a t V e l o c i t i e s t o
24,000 Feet Per Second. NASA TN D-1431, 1962.

5.

Whipple, Fred L . : On Meteoroids and P e n e t r a t i o n .

v o l . 68, no. 17, S e p t . 1, 1963, pp. 4929-4939.

6.

Bjork, R . L . ; Kreyenhagen, K . N . ; and Wagner, M . H . :

Impact Effects as Applied t o t h e Meteoroid Hazard.

7.

R o s e n b l a t t , M a r t i n ; Kreyenhagen, Kenneth N . ; and Romine, Dennis W . :

A n a l y t i c a l Study of Debris Clouds Formed by Hypervelocity Impacts on
Thin P l a t e s . F i n a l Technical Report AFML-TR-68-266, Shock
Hydrodynamics, I n c . , December 1968.

J . Geophys. Res.,

A n a l y t i c a l Study of
NASA CR-757, 1967.

8. Fowles, G . R . :
A t t e n u a t i o n of t h e Shock Wave Produced i n a S o l i d by a
F l y i n g P l a t e . J . Appl. Phys., v o l . 31, no. 4, A p r i l 1960, pp. 655-661.
9.

T i l l o t s o n , J . H . : M e t a l l i c Equations of S t a t e f o r Hypervelocity Impact.

GA-3216 (AF29 (601) -4759), General Atomic Div. o f General Dynamics,
J u l y 1962.

10.

Walsh, J . M . ; Johnson, W . E . ; Dienes, J . K . ; T i l l o t s o n , J . H . ; and

The Theory o f Hypervelocity Impact. Summary Report
Yates, D . R . :
GA-5119 (DA-04-495-AMC-116 ( X ) ) , General Atomic Div. of General Dynamics,
March 1964.

11.

Enig, J u l i u s W . :
A Complete E , P , V , T, S Thermodynamic D e s c r i p t i o n o f
Metals Based on t h e P , U Mirror-Image Approximation. J . Appl. Phys.,
v o l . 34, no. 4 , P t . 1, A p r i l 1963, pp. 746-754.

12.

Van T h i e l , M . , e d . : Compendium of Shock Wave Data. S e c t i o n s A - 1 , A - 2 .

UCRL-50108, v o l s , I and 11, Lawrence R a d i a t i o n Lab., U . of C a l i f . ,
Livermore, C a l i f . , June 1966.

16

TABLE 1.- SIMULATING PROJECTILE VELOCITIES

FOR IMPACTS ON ALUMINUM TARGETS
Velocity, v(5
km/sec, at -

Projectile
mater i a1
PH
Polyethylene
2024-T351 A1

= 1 . 0 5 Mb pH=1.70 Mb

=V,,=ll .3

=Vp=15,2

7.40

10.3

AIS1 1018 steel

5.64

7.83

Ni
OFHC Cu
Pt

5.39

7.53

5.48

7.61

4.67

6 .SO

17

TABLE 2 . - SUMMARY OF PERTINENT EXPERIMENTAL DATA

I
Round

Material

568 * Polye' r l e n e
2024-' 5 1 A 1
989
994
995
997
990
991
5-108
5-117
5-119
5-122
5.-123
5-124
5-125
5-126
5-127
5-203
5-114 ,IS11018 S t e e l
5-115
Ni
5-116
OFHC Cu
5-197
5-213
5-214
J-109
5-110
5-111
5-112
5-259
5-198
5-205
5-206
SR- 19f
SR- 19;
SR- 191
SR-20(
5-211
E
5-249
5-251
5-207
5-209
5-210

---

18

Projectile

Diameter,
d,

mm

Projectile
Length,

z,
mm

5.702
5.075
5.075
5.072
5.075
5.072
5.075
5.080
5.090
5.085
5.080

1.8
.411
.417
.417
.411
.818
.826
1.10
1.09
1.09
1.10

5.362
5.080

1.20
.686
.688
.691
.460
.518
.533
.645
.650
.655
.665
.655
.729
.744
.739
.732
.732
.742
.726
.483
.475
.485
.551
.546
.554

I I
1

5.105
5.080

4.821

4.811
4.821
4.811
5.090

.c

4.559

Mass,
m,

Velocity

km/sec

1.0453
.0233
.0233
.0232
.0230
.0467
.0469
.0616
.0611
.0605
.0615
.0613
.0616
.0610
.0610
.0614
.0752
.lo79
.lo75
.1209
.0812
.0917
.0953
.1122
.1102
.lo88
.1123
.1178
.1180
.1208
.1201
.1190
.1181
.1200
.1171
.2098
.2048
.2086
.1923
.1912
.1935

11.3
7.40
5.96
8.19
8.35
7.55
5.86
6.56
6.76
6.95
6.75
6.97
6.61
7.27
7.22
6.85
6.70
5.05
5.31
5.06
5.17
5.44
5.56
5.80
6.03
5.85
5.28
6.06
5.42
5.56
5.74
6.89
7.20
7.63
7.82
4.72
4.62
4.70
5.37
4.41
4.69

V,

Penetration,
p,

Mean
finenes
ratio

mm

7.54
5.23
4.57
5.56
5.69
6.50
5.44
6.38
6.55
6.81
6.68
6.73
6.40
6.96
6.83
6.66
6.88
7.11
7.29
7.49
6.30
6.83
7.14
7.87
7.98
7.75
7.24
8.28
7.75
7.92
8.08
9.27
9.52
9.88
9.88
9.35
9.02
9.27
10.2
9.12
9.42

a0 c
0
N .rl
.rl

c,

,+ rda
rd k \
E+J b

.............

0 0 0 0 d d 0 0 0 r l N M r l
rldrlrlddddrlrlrldd

k a,&
o c
za,
&

m m N M N d L n r l W d d d d

d N O d r . r . m N u 3 d m d N

. . . . . . . . . . . .

d N M M N N d N N M N M M
0

co

a d

d \ D

N r l
l n N

. .

*Ln

rl
d

r(

N
N

. .

r l r l

m u 3e
m r .DoP~ m r . w ~ ~ u 3 +

. . . . . . .M d. . m. . .

0 N M M

v) L n

u3

0.0

r l r l d d d d r l d r l r l r l N N

...........

b
b
N

. e.
c o d
m

s'

MGE

c
e,

19

TABLE 5 . - SIMULATED IMPACTS OF POROUS ALUMINUM (0.44 g/cm3) CYLINDERS

Simulating projectile
Velocity, Length, Fineness Dimensionless (p/mi/3)p, (P/m13)p for,
Z,,
ratio, penetration,
(z/d),, = 1,
vu
cm/gir3
km/sec
mm
(Z/d),,
(P/d),
cm/g1/3
J

Polyethylene

18

2.5

0.47

1.4

2.6

2.6a

22

2.6

.47

1.8

3.3

3.0a

a
From theoretical results of reference 6

TABLE 6 . - CONSTANTS FOR TILLOTSONS EQUATION OF STATE

B,

a
Polyethylene 0 . 6
w
.5
cu
.5
Fe
.5
A1
.5
Be
.55
Ti
.5
Ni
.5
MO

EO >

Mb

a-cm3/g

0.02

0.07
.225
.325
.095
.OS0
.175
.070
.090
.045
.025
.07

2.50
1.10
1.05
.65
.55
.50
1.50
1.65
.50

.5

.4
.6

.002

Vormal density,
P,,
g/cm3

Sources
Referene

0.92
19.17
8.90
7.86
2.70
1.85
4.51
8.86
10.20
11.68
.95

9 and 1C

Assume

TABLE 7.- EMPIRICAL CONSTANTS IN THE EQUATION U

Co + SU

[From ref. 121

Material

A1 2024

20

iormal density,
Co, km/sec
p0, g/cm3
19.17
8.90
7.86
2.71
2.785
8.86
21.43

4.005
3.958
3.768
5.38
5.355
4.646
3.646

1.268
1.497
1.655
1.35

1.345
1.445
1.535

Applicable pressure range,

Mb

- 2.074
- 1.444
.43 - 1.967
-693 - 1.972
.015 - 1.022

0.395
.883

1.009 - 1.491
.322 - 2.718

E-

Figure l.- Axisymmetric, hypervelocity impact of semi-infinite target by lowfineness-ratio cylinder of dissimilar material.

21

(a) At time soon after impact.

Figure 2.- Estimated wave pattern for axisymmetric, hypervelocity impact of
semi-infinite target by low-fineness-ratio cylinder (dissimilar material).
22

(b) At time soon after reflection of shock wave

Sp

from cylinder's rear face.

Figure 2.- Concluded.

23

Note: Not to scale

Figure 3 . - Wave diagram for material and wave motions o c c u r r i n g along

24

axis.

2.0
I .8
I.6
I.4

1.2
pcr
1.0

PP

.8
.6

Simulating
projectile
material

Velocity,

7.40
5 64
5.39
5.48
4.67

.4

0 2024-T351 AI
0 AIS1 1018 Steel
A Ni

.2

0 OFHC Cu

VU,

km /sec

b Pt

.I

.2

.3

.4

.5

(Z/dlp
Figure 4.- Normalized penetration of simulating projectile versus fineness
ratio of corresponding polyethylene cylinder impacting at 11.3 km/sec.

25

z/d = 0.081 I

0.161

v = 7.40 km/sec

7.55

..

0.2 I 6

0.224

7.27

6.70
~

5.31
(b) AIS1 1018 Steel

(a) 2024-T35I AI

5.06
(C)

Ni

Figure 5.- Impact craters i n 2024-T351 aluminum t a r g e t s produced by s i m u l a t i n g

p r o j e c t i l e s a t Hugoniot p r e s s u r e s n e a r 1.05 megabars.
26

z / d = 0.0905

v = 5.

0.102

I7 km/sec

5.44

0.131

0.151

'

5.42

( d ) OFHC Cu
0.0933

0.122

4.70

4.69
( e ) Pt

Figure 5.- Concluded.

27

Figure 6.- Plaster replica (from ref. 2) of impact crater in 2024-T351

aluminum target produced by 1/3-fineness-ratio polyethylene cylinder
at 11.3 km/sec.

28

1 /d

0.224

( a 1 2024-T351 A I

v = 6.70 km/sec
0.151

( b ) OFHC Cu

5.42

0.122

4.69

----

Simulating projec ti le
High -speed polyethylene cylinder of ref. 2
Figure 7.- Comparison of crater profiles.

29

I/d = 0.151

v = 7 - 0 2 km/sec
Figure 8.- Impact crater i n 2024-T351 aluminum t a r g e t produced by copper
s i m u l a t i n g p r o j e c t i l e a t Hugoniot p r e s s u r e near 1.70 megabars.

30

NASA-Langley, 1970

- 32 A-3 3 15

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