NOVEL COMPOSITES FOR PROTECTION AGAINST ORBITAL DEBRIS

THE INNOVATION RESULTING FROM THE PROPOSED EFFORT WILL BE A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF MATERIALS FOR SPACE BUMPERS TO COUNTERTHE THREAT POSED TO PRESSURIZED VEHICLES BY MAN-MADE ORBITAL DEBRIS AND MICROMETEOROIDS IN SPACE. THE MATERIAL COMBINATIONS TO BE EXAMINED INCLUDE PLANAR COMPOSITES POSSESSING ROD-LIKE REINFORCEMENT IN THE THICKNESS (Z) DIRECTION AS WELL AS THIN SANDWICHES OF THESE MATERIALS IN WHICH Z-REINFORCED SECTIONS ARE SEPARATED BY A LAYER OF LOW-DENSITY FOAM. A KEY ASPECT OF THIS CONCEPT IS THE Z-DIRECTION REINFORCEMENT WHICH CONTAINS A DENSE, LOW SHOCK COMPRESSIBILITY METAL TO ASSIST IN FRAGMENTING THE PROJECTILE AND DISPERSING THE FRAGMENTS OVER A WIDE AREA. THIS CONCEPT IS THE SMALL-SCALE ANALOG TO USE OF LONG-ROD PENETRATORS TO DEFEAT GROUND VEHICLE ARMOR. IN THIS CASE, THE PENETRATOR RODS ARE STATIONARY WITH RESPECT TO THE VEHICLE AND ARE CONTAINED WITHIN AN ORGANIC MATRIX COMPOSITEMATERIAL, WHILE THE MATERIAL TO BE DEFEATED IS MOVING.