TOPOGRAPHICALLY MODIFIED BUMPER CONCEPTS FOR SPACECRAFT SHIELDING

This paper introduces the concept of Topographically Modified Bumpers, or TMB's, for spacecraft shielding. By milling geometric patterns onto the front face of a flat plate bumper, ribs are formed which create multiple contact points with a projectile during impact. As the generated shock waves travel through the projectile, they overlap causing a superposition and amplification of the shock. Several different TMB designs are considered and results from experimental tests conducted at low (1.5 to 3.5 km/sec) and medium (6 to 8 km/sec) velocities are presented. At higher velocities, a parametric study of topography dimensions is performed to show optimizing trends. It is found that TMB's with tall ribs, thin backing plate, and small rib separation should perform best.