Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial High-Speed-Imaging of Projectile Impacts into Fluids in Microgravity

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Microgravity Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Impacts of rigid metal projectiles into fluid targets were observed under microgravity conditions using a technique which simultaneously generates multiple images from different angles with microsecond resolution. The impact experiments were performed with velocities of 15 ± 3 km/h into a water surface on the ground and during parabolic flights. To obtain comparable impacts, the fluid was forced to maintain a planar surface in weightlessness by a sharp metal ring attached in a transparent ultrahydrophobic-coated cylinder. The resulting continuous ‘Frozen Reality’® camera pan shots show the liquid surface deformation due to projectile water-entry. While an impacted liquid surface in gravity forms a wine-glass-shaped air cavity, in microgravity, the air cavity is tear-drop-shaped. Shortly after the impact into liquid, the air cavity closes and a large air bubble remains in the fluid due to microgravity. The escaped fluid forms a columnar liquid jet which tears approximately one second after the impact and leaves a satellite drop above the impact surface. The experiments help to understand collisions of kilometer-sized low-gravity bodies in space as they behave fluid-like at high impact velocities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akers, B., Belmonte, A.: Impact dynamics of a solid sphere falling into a viscoelastic micellar fluid. J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 35, 97–108 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartolo, D., Josserand, C., Bonn, D.: Singular jets and bubbles in drop impact. Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 124501 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birkhoff, G.: Hydrodynamics. A study in Logic, Fact, and Similitude. Princeton University Press, Princeton. (1960)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Colwell, J.E.: Low-velocity impacts into dust: results from the COLLIDE-2 microgravity experiment. Icarus 164, 188 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colwell, J.E., Taylor, M.: Low-velocity microgravity impact experiments into simulated regolith. Icarus 138, 241 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaudet, S.: Numerical simulation of circular disks entering the free surface of a fluid. Phys. Fluids 10, 2489 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kizito, J., Van der Wal, R., Berger, G.: Numerical and Experimental Studies of Splashing Droplets. 42nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, AIAA-2004-960 (2004)

  • Lee, M., Longoria, R. G., Wilson, D. E.: Cavity dynamics in high-speed water entry. Phys. Fluids 9, 540 (1997)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, M.C., Ho, T.Y.: Water-entry for a wedge in arbitrary water depth. Eng. Anal. Bound. Elem. 14(2), 179–185 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohse, D., Bergmann, R., Mikkelsen, R., Zeilstra, C., van der Meer, D., Versluis, M., van der Weele, K., van der Hoef, M., Kuipers, H.: Impact on soft sand: void collapse and jet formation. Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 198003 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López, J.M., Mancebo, F., Meizoso, D., Valls, P.: The Orbital Liquid Experiment (OLE). ESA Bulletin 109, 94–100 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier, F.: Patent DE 199 61 428 C2 (1999)

  • Mallock, A.: Sound produced by drops falling on water. Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. A 195, 138 (1918)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCoy, M.: Soaps & detergents. Chem. Eng. News 84(5), 13–19 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  • Miloh, T.: On the oblique water-entry problem of a rigid sphere. J. Eng. Math. 25(1), 77–92 (1991)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Naemura, T., Tago, J., Harashima, H.: Realtime video-based modeling and rendering of 3D scenes. IEEE Comp. Graphics and Applic. 22(2), 66–73 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oguz, H.N., Prosperetti, A.: Bubble entrainment by the impact of drops on liquid surfaces. J. Fluid Mech. 219, 143–179 (1990)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Padday, J.F., Petre, G., Rusu, C.G., Gamero, J., Wozniak, G.: The shape, stability and breakage of pendant liquid bridges. J. Fluid Mech. 352, 177–204 (1997)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Shoemaker, E.M.: Impact and Explosion Cratering. Pergamon, New York (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Seitz, S.M., Dyer, C.R.: View morphing. Computer Graphics Proceedings, Annual Conference Series, pp. 21–30 (1996)

  • Vedula, S., Baker, S., Kanade, T.: Image-based spatio-temporal modeling and view interpolation of dynamic events. ACM Trans. Graphics 24(2), 240–261 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Physics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

    B. Holfeld

  2. Institute for Media Technology, University of Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany

    F. Maier

  3. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Seconda Universita di Napoli, Napoli, Italy

    M. Izzo & S. Dinardo

Authors
  1. B. Holfeld
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. F. Maier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Izzo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. Dinardo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B. Holfeld.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Holfeld, B., Maier, F., Izzo, M. et al. Spatial High-Speed-Imaging of Projectile Impacts into Fluids in Microgravity. Microgravity Sci. Technol 21, 73–77 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-008-9087-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-008-9087-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation