Testing and Analysis at Hypersonic Speeds

UDRI's hypervelocity impact facility has 2 two-stage light-gas gun ranges for hypervelocity testing at velocities up to 24,600 ft/sec (7.5 km/sec). Applications for this facility include design and evaluation of orbital debris shielding, lethality/survivability for theater missile defense systems, and characterization of Kinetic Energy penetrator performance. The larger two-stage, light-gas gun can be configured into a 75/30/7.62 mm three stage, light-gas gun that has launched spherical projectiles to over 10 km/sec for micro-meteoroid/orbital debris impact testing.

Different projectile shapes can be launched for hypervelocity impact studies including spheres, discs, rods, cubes, and others. Spheres ranging from 1 mm to 19 mm with impact velocities up to 10 km/sec are used to simulate orbital debris threats to spacecraft structures. Typical projectiles for lower velocity impacts below 3 km/sec include long rod penetrators, and segmented and extensible rod penetrators for armor/anti-armor testing.

Capabilities

• 50/20mm and 75/30mm two-stage, light gas guns (up to 7.5km/sec)
• World's fastest three-stage, light-gas gun (over 10 km/s)
• High-speed data acquisition up to 25 mhz
• Interior ballistics diagnosis
• Test samples under stress
• Instrumented test samples (strain, accelerometers, load cells)

Typical Projects

• Spacecraft shield testing for Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris MMOD threats
• Determination of Thermal Projection Systems (TPS) impact capability
• Ballistic Limit Equation (BLE) validation
• Debris cloud formation
• KE penetrator performance
• Insensitive munitions testing

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Top: Multiple Sequence Flash radiograph of a debris cloud produced by a spherical aluminum projectile impacting a thin aluminum shield at 7 km/sec (left); 1.05-inch diameter by 0.44-inch deep crater formed by the impact of a 0.312-inch diameter nylon disc weighing 0.25g (right)

The Gun that Saves Lives

Pictured below are UDRI's two-stage light-gas gun ranges for hypervelocity testing. The larger two-stage, light-gas gun can be configured into a 75/30/7.62 mm three stage, light-gas gun (the world's fastest) that can launch spherical projectiles to over 10 km/sec.