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VB6 Aurora > Newtonian Aurora
Impact Physics
bean:
I met with Dr. Schonberg today, and learned the following:
First, we have very little data on long rods (which I presume NA is using) at anything above ordnance velocities. This is for two reasons. First, it's difficult to run those tests. Second, nobody is launching long rods, and the chances of an object randomly functioning as one are very low.
That said, a couple things to add to the standard wisdom of atomic rockets.
While a projectile hitting a whipple shield will fragment, unshocked projectile will remain unitary and continue to penetrate. Long rods thus could go through multiple compartments, shedding length each time and destroying whatever is inside.
At velocities above about 30 km/s, the projectile begins to turn to plasma after impact. This could decrease penetration, as the plasma cloud will hit over a much larger area then a fragment of a projectile. This would tend to reduce penetration at these velocities, provided sufficient standoff is allowed. What that is, I don't know. Armor is effective against the plasma cloud. However, the same thing that was mentioned above could also occur, with multiple compartments penetrated.
To achieve either of the above, the long rod must hit straight on. Otherwise, the entire thing will disintegrate on the whipple shield.
Mel Vixen:
--- Quote ---First, we have very little data on long rods (which I presume NA is using) at anything above ordnance velocities. This is for two reasons. First, it's difficult to run those tests. Second, nobody is launching long rods, and the chances of an object randomly functioning as one are very low.
--- End quote ---
There is only one way to find out! Just donate me half a billion Dollars on my paypal account and ...
In all seriousness now isnt there some kind of Simulation-software for this kind of stuff? I know that some meteor-simulators allow to choose a form but i guess thats not compare-able.
I am not really convinced that Steves Railguns use Javelin like ordinance.
^^ maybe someone has contacts to the US Navy could get the info - after all they are building that Railgun prototypes for years now.
bean:
--- Quote from: Heph on January 26, 2012, 10:17:39 PM ---There is only one way to find out! Just donate me half a billion Dollars on my paypal account and ...
In all seriousness now isnt there some kind of Simulation-software for this kind of stuff? I know that some meteor-simulators allow to choose a form but i guess thats not compare-able.
I am not really convinced that Steves Railguns use Javelin like ordinance.
^^ maybe someone has contacts to the US Navy could get the info - after all they are building that Railgun prototypes for years now.
--- End quote ---
That's not the problem. The thing is that there is just no data to plug into the models. The Navy's railgun works at Mach 4-6, while we're talking Mach 25 and up. It's a completely different physical realm. And no, a meteor sim is not going to work.
UnLimiTeD:
So, the interesting question remaining is:
How much will turning into plasma decrease the effective velocity of the projectile?
Because the impact speeds are more likely to be in the range of 100km/s, so we can expect that to happen often.
Will it expand spherical? Aka, half the projectile will slow down significantly?
Will it disintegrate from front to back, thus significantly slowing down the rest of the matter?
We don't know.
bean:
--- Quote from: UnLimiTeD on January 27, 2012, 06:14:50 AM ---So, the interesting question remaining is:
How much will turning into plasma decrease the effective velocity of the projectile?
Because the impact speeds are more likely to be in the range of 100km/s, so we can expect that to happen often.
Will it expand spherical? Aka, half the projectile will slow down significantly?
Will it disintegrate from front to back, thus significantly slowing down the rest of the matter?
We don't know.
--- End quote ---
Not that much. Plasma is what happens when the front of the projectile is under a couple hundred gigapascals or more that then go away.
No, because momentum is conserved, most of it will go into the ship. I'm not sure what the random velocity in plasma is, but it's not that high.
I think that it will not slow down the back significantly. The pressures involved are too high for the material to withstand as a solid, so the back section will probably be largely unaffected.
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