Porosity Effects on Impact Processes in Solar System Materials

Physics – Condensed Matter

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Scientific paper

We will present calculations and experiments on the effect of porosity on the elastic moduli and dynamic fragmentation energy of porous, brittle materials. These results are part of our developing theory of porosity effects on impact processes in solar system materials. We will also examine the effects of porosity on the dynamic strength, fragment distribution, crack propagation and shock attenuation in ice and comet analog materials. The strength of comets, porous aggregates of ice and dust, is basically unknown with only one data point from the tidal breakup of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which had a tensile strength of ~100s Pa. The porosity of comets has never been measured directly and models predict a range from 40-80%. Planned spacecraft missions ESA's Rosetta and NASA's Deep Space 4 will measure porosity and other physical properties of comets. To isolate the effects of porosity, we are conducting experiments on Plaster of Paris, a gypsum plaster, which may be made in porosities ranging from 30-80%. The static tensile strength of the plaster is similar to ice, ranging from 2-4 MPa, depending on the porosity. These data and theories will be necessary to construct a collisional model of the Kuiper Belt, the source of short period comets, which will be visited by the NASA's Pluto-Kuiper Express spacecraft mission in the next century. The strength properties of comets are necessary to understand the transition zone to gravity scaling and also to interpret the cratering history that will be observed on the icy surfaces of outer solar system objects.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Porosity Effects on Impact Processes in Solar System Materials does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Porosity Effects on Impact Processes in Solar System Materials, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Porosity Effects on Impact Processes in Solar System Materials will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1497922

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.