A new smoothed particle hydrodynamics method based on the pseudo-fluid model and its application in hypervelocity impact of a projectile on a thin plate

Based on the kinetic theory of granular flow (pseudo-fluid model), a new Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) algorithm suited for hyper velocity collision was presented in this paper. The damaged debris of the hyper velocity impact was equated with the pseudo-fluid and the effects of the debris' interaction and the effects of the gas on the formation process of the debris cloud were investigated. The new SPH algorithm was employed to simulate the 3D hyper velocity impact of an alloy projectile on thin target plates, and the numerical results of crater diameters, the structure and morphology characteristics of the debris cloud and the core debris cloud's shape and distribution were in good agreement with the experimental results. Compared with the simulations of the standard SPH and ASPH, the simulation of the new algorithm is more accurate in the core debris cloud's characteristics. Meanwhile, the hyper velocity impact of the Whipple shield problem was also simulated at different impact velocities. It was found that the crater diameters and the damage characteristics of the rear walls agree well with the experimental results, and that the simulation results are consistent with the typical ballistic limit curve of a Whipple shielding structure.