DEGRADATION OF HARDENING CONCEPT PERFORMANCE DUE TO MULTIPLE HYPERVELOCITY IMPACTS AND THERMAL PULSES

AN ANALYTICAL METHODOLOGY IS BEING DEVELOPED THAT IS CAPABLE OF DETERMINING THE OPTIMUM COMBINATION OF TEMPORALLY/SPATIALLY DISTRIBUTED PULSED-LASER AND HYPERVELOCITY IMPACTS NEEDED TO CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO POSTULATED MULTITHREAT, MULTILAYER STRATEGIC ASSET STRUCTURES AND STRUCTURAL HARDENING CONCEPTS. THE METHODOLOGY ALSO WOULD ALLOW THE THEORETICAL DETERMINATION OF HARDENING CONCEPT MODIFICATIONS WHICH WOULD INCREASE THEIR RESISTANCE TO SUCH REPEATED PULSING. ANALYSIS HAS INDICATED THAT THE THERMAL/MECHANICAL IMPEDANCEMISMATCHES AND LOW MECHANICAL STRENGTH INHERENT IN SUCH HARDENING CONCEPTS COULD BE EXPLOITED BY PROPER TIMING/SPACING OF CANDIDATE DEW/KEW SOURCES, THUS GREATLY REDUCING THE INCIDENT ENERGY REQUIREMENTS. DELAMINATIONS COULD BE CREATED AND CAUSED TO PROPAGATE LEADING TO GREATLY REDUCED HARDENING CONCEPT AND UNDERLYING STRUCTURE PERFORMANCE. EFFORTS TO DATE HAVE IGNORED MUCH OF THE PHENOMENOLOGY ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH SCENARIOS RESULTING IN QUESTIONABLE LETHALITY ANDHARDENING ESTIMATES. NOVEL ANALYTICAL METHODS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED TO ADDRESS FLAW COALESCENSE PROBLEMS ARE BEING EMPLOYED TO ADDRESS THE DEVELOPMENT, GROWTH AND INTERACTION OF INITIALLY SUBCRITICAL STRUCTURAL AND HARDENING CONCEPT DAMAGE.