Simulation of hypervelocity impact effects on reinforced carbon-carbon

Spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit face a significant orbital debris impact hazard. Of particular concern, in the case of the space shuttle, are impacts on critical components of the thermal protection system. Recent research has formulated a new material model of reinforced carbon-carbon, for use in the analysis of hypervelocity impact effects on the space shuttle wing leading edge. The material model has been validated in simulations of published impact experiments and applied to model orbital debris impacts at velocities beyond the range of current experimental methods. The results suggest that momentum scaling, which has been used to correlate the available experimental database, can predict the size of wing leading-edge perforations at impact velocities as high as 13 km/s.