Velocity and spin of fragments from impact disruptions: I. An experimental approach to a general law between mass and velocity

Abstract

A new velocity distribution for fragments from impact disruption of a gypsum sphere, a previous distribution for basalt and alumina targets, and basalt antipodal velocity data were compared using the center of mass system (CMS). The results show that the CMS velocity of fixed—mass fragments is within a range of an order of magnitude, despite the different materials and collisional conditions, as long as the projectile size is relatively unchanged. The CMS velocity is proportional to ∼ −( 1 3 ∼ 1 6 ) power of the mass, and this relationship is discussed in relation to the ejection model proposed for cratering by Melosh (1984, Icarus 59, 234–260, 1987, Int. J. Impact Eng. 5, 483–492).