Hypervelocity impact resistance mechanism of the PTFE/Al reactive material for spacecraft shield: Experiment and simulation

The protection of orbital spacecrafts against hypervelocity impact with space debris is a research hot topic. Reactive material bumper has garnered attention owing to its impact-induced energetic response. However, the combined protection mechanism of impact and shock-induced rapid reaction remains unclear. This paper adopts experimental testing and numerical simulation methods to investigate the differences in dynamic response, debris cloud evolution, and rear damage of PTFE/Al bumper and Al2024 bumper under hypervelocity impact. The relationship between debris cloud distribution and rear damage is established through debris cloud clustering and mass filtering algorithms. Testing results indicate that, the shock-induced rapid reaction of the PTFE/Al bumper alters the dynamic response propagation process of shock wave, effectively mitigating the rear-wall damage. The momentum of the projectile reduces rapidly, and the debris cloud undergoes significant expansion. Consequently, the rear-wall damage transforms from localized deep penetration to widespread-shallow diffuse ablation. Further analysis reveals that, the improved protective performance of the PTFE/Al bumper is attributed to the combined effects of the soft-catching mechanism associated with reduced relative velocity, and the more intense fragmentation of the PTFE/Al bumper. This study provides references for engineering design of reactive protective structures for orbital spacecrafts.