Study on damage mechanism and damage distribution of the rear plate under impact of debris cloud

The debris cloud generated by the hypervelocity impact (HVI) of orbiting space debris directly threatens the spacecraft. A full understanding of the damage mechanism of rear plate is useful for the optimal design of protective structures. In this study, the hypervelocity yaw impact of a cylindrical aluminum projectile on a double-layer aluminum plate is simulated by the FE-SPH adaptive method, and the damage process of the rear plate under the impact of the debris cloud is analyzed based on the debris cloud structure. The damage process can be divided into the main impact stage of the debris cloud and the structural response of the rear plate. The main impact stage lasts a short time and is the basis of the rear plate damage. In the stage of structure response, the continuous deformation and inertial motion of the rear plate dominate the perforation of the rear plate. We further analyze the damage mechanism and damage distribution characteristics of the rear plate in detail. Moreover, the connection between velocity space and position space of the debris cloud is established, which promotes the general analysis of the damage law of debris cloud. Based on the relationship, the features of typical damage areas are identified by the localized fine analysis. Both the cumulative effect and structural response cause the perforation of rear plate; in the non-perforated area, cratering by the impact of hazardous fragments is the main damage mode of the rear plate.