Experimental and numerical investigation on hypervelocity impact response of 2D plain-woven C/SiC composite

Abstract

The thermal protection structure of a spacecraft in service inevitably suffers from hypervelocity impact by space debris. The 2D plain-woven C/SiC composite is a typical ceramic-matrix material that has been extensively applied for thermal protection. In this study, the effects of Mylar flyers on 2D-C/SiC composite and LY12 hard aluminum under the velocity range from 3400 m/s to 9300 m/s are investigated using an electric gun. The free surface velocity history of the specimen is recorded through the Doppler probe system, and the debris clouds are collected using a foam plate. Then, an orthotropic constitutive material model is chosen to describe the hypervelocity impact response of the 2D-C/SiC composite using the commercial software Autodyn. Numerical simulations are conducted based on smooth particle hydrodynamics solver, and the results agree well with the experimental data. The relationships of free surface velocity to the flyer diameter and plate thickness are also discussed. The results from this study are very useful for thermal protection structural design.