Abstract
Catastrophic fracture of heterogeneous grains consisting of refractory matrix and trapped icy inclusions is examined. As such a grain approaches the Sun after release from the comet, the saturation pressure of icy inclusions increases, and finally exceeds the crack-extension-force necessary for onset of unstable fast fracturing. Subsequently a growth of cracks results in a facture of the grain.
The calculation revealed that obsidian and magnetite grain, respectively, of radius 100 Μm with 10% water-ice inclusions in volume suddenly disrupt near the solar distance of 0.25 AU and of 0.6 AU. Since the small debris of fragmentation comes from the direction of the sun on a relatively higher eccentric orbit, this fragmentation mechanism seems favourable to explain the β-meteoroids observed at 1 AU.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Berg, O. E. and Grün, E.: 1973, Space Research XIII, 1047.
Bohren, C. F. and Wickramasinghe, N. C.: 1977, Astrophys. Space Sci. 50, 461.
Fechtig, H.: 1976, Lecture Notes in Physics 48, 143.
Fletcher, N. H.: 1970, The Chemical Physics of Ice, Cambridge Univ. Press, Chap. 3.
Greenberg, J. M.: 1982, in L. L. Wilkening (ed.), Comets The University of Arizona Press, p. 131.
Lamy, Ph. L.: 1974, Astron. Astrophys. 35, 197.
Mukai, T.: 1980, in I. Halliday and B. A. McIntosh (eds.), Solid Particles in the Solar System, D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland p. 385.
Mukai, T. and Mukai, S.: 1973, Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan 25, 481.
Mukai, T. and Schwehm, G.: 1981, Astron. Astrophys. 95, 373.
Mukai, T., Mukai, S., Schwehm, G., and Giese, R. H.: 1983, in T. I. Gombosi (ed.), Cometary Exploration, Vol. II, p. 135.
Ney, E. P.: 1982, in L. L. Wilkening (ed.), Comets The University of Arizona Press, p. 323.
Selberg, H. L.: 1952, Ark. Fys. 5, 97.
Tetelman, A. S. and McEvily Jr. A. J.: 1967, Fracture of Structural Materials, John Wiley and Sons, Inc..
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mukai, T. Heterogeneous grain destruction near the Sun. Earth Moon Planet 30, 99–103 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00118096
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00118096