Abstract
The velocity distribution of fragments resulting from catastrophic disruption was determined experimentally which is of great importance to understand the collisional evolution of planetary bodies. Basalt and alumina spheres 6 cm in diameter were shattered by nylon spheres 7 mm in diameter at velocities of 3 ∼ 4 km/sec. From high-speed photographic records taken from two orthogonal directions, velocity, initial position, and size of a few hundreds of fragments were obtained using an image processor. The three-dimensional fragment velocity determined for some prominent fragments is expressed as the − 1 6 power of fragment mass for fragment sizes larger than a few millimeters. The fraction of energy, momentum, and angular momentum partitioned into the large major fragments, core, and the fast fine ejecta from near the impact site were evaluated. About 1% of the initial kinetic energy was found to be partitioned into the major, large fragments. Cores were minor carriers of energy and momentum, while fine ejecta played a significant role as carriers of the three kinetic quantities.
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