Hypervelocity Impact Phenomena: Unique Experimental and Modeling Techniques

Abstract

Material response to high-velocity, non-planar impact is a very complex process involving propagation and attenuation of nonuniform shock waves, gross material deformation and fracture, development of complex relief wave patterns, and interactions among these processes as well as late-time, lower strain-rate deformation and structural response. Significant effort has been expended over many years in the development of numerical calculational techniques to describe the impact and cratering process. However, experimental technique development has not kept pace with the analytical effort so that facilities have not been available for detailed experimental studies and verification of analytical results.