Effect of honeycomb core under hypervelocity impact: numerical simulation and engineering model

Honeycomb sandwich panels (HC/SP) are the most common used structures for space vehicle. Under the threat of meteoroid and space debris, the distribution of the fragments produced in a hypervelocity impact event on HC/SP is critical to the vulnerability assessment of space vehicle. CISAS developed an engineering model to describe fragments clouds propagating inside spacecraft in consequence of space debris impact on HC/SP. In this model, the effect of the honeycomb core was modeled by an empirical corrective factor, which was not related to the physical of the impact. To improve this model, a new model to describe the effect of the honeycomb core was developed. In the new model, the honeycomb core was equaled to multi-parallel thin plates, which can represent the discontinuity of honeycomb core without complex boundary. Based on the knowledge of hypervelocity impact on a simple thin plate and approximation supported by numerical simulation results, the model was deduced. The coefficient of the model was fitted by the numerical simulation results.