'Shields to maximum, Mr. Scott': Simulating orbital debris impacts on spacecraft and fragment impacts on body armor
Thursday, June 27, 2013 - 13:30
in Astronomy & Space
Running hundreds of simulations on TACC supercomputers, University of Texas mechanical engineering professor Eric Fahrenthold assisted NASA in the development of ballistic limit curves that predict whether a shield will be perforated when hit by a projectile of a given size and speed. The framework they developed also allows them to study the impact of projectiles on body armor materials and to predict the response of different fabric weaves upon impact.