Geometrical Shapes of Projectiles Effect on Hypervelocity Impact

Spherical projectiles are the most common shape used experiments and simulations related to hypervelocity impact. However, real space debris which is threat to spacecraft is not likely to be spherical. There is need to study the influence of projectile shape as different shapes may cause greater damage to spacecraft compared to spherical projectiles for the same impact conditions. The results in this paper originate from the initial stage of an MSc degree individual research project. The final objective of this work is to investigate the influence of projectile geometry on the performance of Whipple Bumper Shield. The SPH method is used to simulate spherical, cubic and cylindrical projectiles in hypervelocity region. The influence of the projectile shape on the shape of primary debris cloud observed in the initial results is discussed.