An analytical model for the motion of debris clouds induced by hypervelocity impact projectiles with different shapes on multi-plate structures

• An analytical model is proposed to predict the morphology, mass and velocity distribution of debris cloud induced by hypervelocity normal impact on a multi-plate structure.
• The contour of the first debris cloud is ellipsoidal and the others are ellipsoidal or spherical, depending on the impact condition.
• At a given time the velocity of the debris clouds is linearly distributed with respect to displacement, and the mass distribution is exponential along the impact direction. The parameters of the model are defined based on the conservation of mass, momentum and energy.

An analytical model is presented in this paper for prediction of the motion of debris clouds induced by hypervelocity impact projectiles with different shapes on multi-plate structures. The debris cloud model is proposed for morphology, velocity distribution, mass distribution and damage effects on plates. The contour of first debris cloud is ellipsoidal and the others are ellipsoidal or spherical, depending on the impact condition. The equations for the debris cloud surface are obtained. It has been found that at a given time the velocity of the debris clouds is linearly distributed with respect to displacement, and the mass distribution is exponential along the impact direction. An example is given in detail, which shows that the model can successfully describe the motion of debris clouds produced by hypervelocity impact.