Characterization of the ballistic limit curve for metallic Whipple shield

It has been known that space debris or meteoroid impact damage can have significant effects on spacecraft. Experimental test has been conducted up to 7 km/s, and numerical simulations are performed at higher velocities. Studies on the hypervelocity impact onto single plate, double spaced plates (Whipple shield), and multiple plates (MS shield) have been performed and ballistic limit curves (BLCs) are proposed. Last 15 years SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) has been applied to the hypervelocity impact problems because of cost of test and numerical efficiency especially in the hypervelocity impact regime. Although most of the simulations captured the debris shape well, somehow they do not seem to match well with the empirical ballistic limit curves. We have recently developed a new axisymmetric SPH hydrocode. In order to assess the confidence that should be placed in such simulations we simulated the hypervelocity impacts on aluminum Whipple shields and compared with the empirical BLCs. The SPH simulations indicated an improved accuracy compared with the previously published SPH simulation results. Other effort we put was using different types of equation of state, however no further improvement was achieved.