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Mechanisms of failure of aluminium-based Whipple shields under hypervelocity impact: insights from continuum simulations

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Abstract

Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD) travelling at extremely high velocities in space are a threat to the structural integrity of spacecrafts in the Low Earth Orbit. Whipple shield, consisting of a Bumper and a Rear Wall, with a stand-off distance in between, is widely used to protect spacecrafts from hypervelocity MMOD impacts. In this paper, we present numerical simulations of a set of well-known hypervelocity impact (HVI) experiments on aluminium-based Whipple shields reported in the literature. These simulations are conducted using the three-dimensional Lagrangian Finite Element Method in ABAQUS/Explicit software. In six out of the seven tests reported in the literature, the Whipple shield failed due to a detached spall from the back surface of the Rear Wall, while in the seventh test, the spall was not detached. The present work successfully replicates and favourably compares the failure mechanisms observed in these Whipple shields to the corresponding experimental results. Various critical aspects of the Whipple shield’s failure mechanics and mechanisms are investigated. These include impact pressure on the projectile, Bumper and Rear Wall, Bumper hole diameter, temperature rise, and residual velocity of debris particles and spalled fragments. The predicted ballistic limit of the Whipple shield falls between 2.54 mm and 3.18 mm of Rear Wall thickness in excellent agreement with the experimental results reported in the literature. The present work provides valuable insights into Whipple shield performance. The developed methodology could be employed to optimize shield design through predictive simulations, thereby improving spacecraft protection.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by ISRO-IITB Space Technology Cell for this research through a sponsored project with code RD/0119-ISROC00-010. The authors would like to thank Dr. Rajeev Chaturvedi of ISRO for bringing Reference [26] to their attention and for useful discussions.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400076, India

    Arun Kamble & Parag Tandaiya

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  1. Arun Kamble
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Kamble, A., Tandaiya, P. Mechanisms of failure of aluminium-based Whipple shields under hypervelocity impact: insights from continuum simulations. Acta Mech (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00707-024-03898-y

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