Projectile shape and material effects in hypervelocity impact response of dual-wall structures

All large spacecraft are susceptible to impacts by meteoroids and pieces of orbiting space debris. These impacts occur at extremely high speeds and can damage flight-critical systems, which can in turn lead to catastrophic failure of the spacecraft. A long-duration spacecraft developed for a mission into this environment must include adequate protection against perforation of pressurized components by such impacts. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the effects of projectile shape and material on the perforation of aluminum dual-wall structural systems. Impact damage is characterized according to the extent of perforation, crater, and spall damage in the structural systems as a result of hypervelocity projectile impact loadings. Analysis of the damage data shows that there are distinct differences in impact damage from cylindrical and spherical projectiles. Projectile density is also found to affect the type and extent of damage sustained by dual-wall structural systems.