Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene as a hypervelocity impact shielding material for space structures

Cha, Ji-Hun; Kim, Yun‐Ho; Kumar, Sarath Kumar Sathish; Choi, Chunghyeon; Kim, Chun-Gon

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.12.008

Cited by 48 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is confirmed from previous investigations [ 8 , 16 ] that Basalt and UHMWPE fabrics have a favorable application prospect in spacecraft shielding due to the excellent mechanical properties and shielding performance. In this work, the HVI experiments of the Basalt fabric, UHMWPE fabric, and 5A06 aluminum alloy (Al) plate, were carried out by using a two-stage light gas gun.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Rudolph et al [ 13 ] conducted HVI tests on different flexible materials and found that the most efficient projectile fragmentation and cloud dispersion were observed on the Kevlar fabric and Refrex fabric target. Cha et al [ 16 ] found that UHMWPE fabric ballistic performance at high temperatures environment was slightly reduced, but in Whipple shield design, the ballistic performance was better than Kevlar. Zhao et al [ 17 ] found through numerical simulation that plain weave fabric had the optimal space debris shielding performance compared with other weave types.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Hypervelocity Impact Behavior and Energy Absorption Evaluation of Fabric

Cui

et al. 2023

Polymers

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this work, the mechanical behavior and energy absorption characteristics of flexible fabric under hypervelocity impact (HVI) were investigated. Basalt fabric, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric, and aluminum alloy (Al) plate were chosen to be the sample materials for their excellent mechanical properties and applicative prospect in spacecraft shielding. HVI experiments had been conducted with the help of a two-stage light-gas gun facility, wherein Al projectile with 3.97 mm diameter was launched at velocities in the range 4.1~4.3 km/s. Impact conditions and areal density were kept constant for all targets. The microstructural damage morphology of fiber post-impact was characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Analysis results show that a brittle fracture occurred for Basalt fiber during HVI. On the contrary, the ductile fractures with large-scale plastic deformation and apparent thermal softening/melting of the material had happened on the UHMWPE fiber when subjected to a projectile impact. According to the HVI shielding performance and microstructural damage analysis results, it can be inferred that ductile fractures and thermal softening/melting of the material were the prevailing energy absorption behaviors of UHMWPE fabric, which leads to absorbing more impact energy than Basalt fabric and eventually, contributes the superior shielding performance.

show abstract

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Hypervelocity Impact Behavior and Energy Absorption Evaluation of Fabric

Cui

et al. 2023

Polymers

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Adding polymeric materials to HVI shielding could potentially be beneficial due to their high strength-to-weight ratio. − Furthermore, the viscoelastic behavior of polymers is attributed to the strain-rate-dependent mechanical properties and allows energy dissipation. ,, The effectiveness of polymers in HVI conditions has been reported in the literature, ,,− but a fundamental understanding linking the materials’ responses to the underlying chemical structure, chain length (polymer molecular weight), chain relaxation behavior, and crystallinity is lacking. Upon impact from a projectile, the strain rate the target is subjected to is dependent of both its thickness and the projectile velocity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Strain Rate Failure Behavior of Polycarbonate Plates due to Hypervelocity Impact

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Developing a fundamental understanding of how polymers respond during hypervelocity impact (HVI), a high strain rate process, is crucial for the potential use of polymers in HVI protection systems. Here, we present the high-strain-rate impact behavior of commercially available polycarbonates with two different molecular weights, 42 and 21 kg/mol. A powder gun and a two-stage light-gas gun were used to achieve the velocities (v0) of a 4 mm projectile impacting the polycarbonate targets over the range of 400–6,500 m/s. The deformation behavior of the polymer during the impact event was captured using high-speed cameras. The impact caused a variety of responses, ranging from deflection of the projectile to complete perforation for higher v0, leading to major debris cloud formation. These debris clouds consist of both fluid- and dust-like ejecta. The fluid-like debris cloud indicates the melting of polymer caused by the conversion of kinetic energy to thermal energy and subsequent adiabatic heating. The dust-like response can likely be attributed to the brittle failure behavior of polymers, as the polymer became brittle at a high strain rate. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and dielectric thermal analysis (DETA) on the polycarbonate samples used here indicate an approximately 40 °C increase of T g with increasing frequency from 1 Hz to 106 Hz, and such an increase has likely led to brittle behavior. While the leading-edge velocity of the debris clouds and perforation diameters scale linearly with v0, we found negligible differences in the HVI response for the two molecular weights of polycarbonate tested here. This study displays the importance of v0 and thickness contributing to responses of polycarbonates undergoing HVI.

show abstract

“…In 2020, Cha et al, [119] studied a WS configuration consisting of ultra-high molecular weight poly-ethylene in order to enhance the competence of the shield against the orbital debris over traditional whipple shields. Ballistic-limit was examined using a two staged light-weight gas-gun at velocity about 4 km/s which was used to accelerate aluminium projectiles of 5.56 mm diameter.…”

Section: Experimental Analysis Of Whipple Shieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in the Whipple Shield Design and Development:

Pai

Divakaran

Anand

et al. 2021

J. dynamic behavior mater.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Safety of satellites as well as spacecrafts during space missions is a primary objective to preserve the physical and virtual assets onboard. Whipple shields belong to the class of protective equipment provided on the surface of the spacecrafts and satellites, to sustain impacts from the ultra-high speed debris, which can otherwise cause considerable damage to the corresponding structures. Recent works on whipple shields are focussed on determining the response of different geometrical arrangements and material properties under hyper-velocity impact at projectile speeds of 3-18 km/s. Advances in the whipple shield design include integrated and mechanised models employing high performance materials like fiber-metal laminates ensuring better operational capability. The forward bumper of the whipple shield is the first line of defence as it regulates the state of projectile after the primary impact. Use of aluminium alloys for front bumpers is popular, owing to their lightweight and strength characteristics. The advances for the front bumper have seen usage of ceramic, metallic foams, and super composite mixtures, which resulted in enhanced performance, durability and safety of the whipple shields. This work is a comprehensive coverage of the latest materials used for whipple shields, their performance characterization—both experimental and theoretical, and applications.

show abstract

Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene as a hypervelocity impact shielding material for space structures

Cited by 48 publications

References 12 publications

The Hypervelocity Impact Behavior and Energy Absorption Evaluation of Fabric

The Hypervelocity Impact Behavior and Energy Absorption Evaluation of Fabric

High Strain Rate Failure Behavior of Polycarbonate Plates due to Hypervelocity Impact

Advances in the Whipple Shield Design and Development:

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About