Vulnerability of pressurized cabin for manned spacecraft under hypervelocity impact

Abstract:

The manned spacecraft capsule provides a critical safeguard for the safe work and life of astronauts during space missions. To understand the vulnerability characteristics of the pressurized cabin structure and obtain an accurate model of its vulnerability, impact tests of the basalt/aramid fiber-filled Whipple shields were carried out based on two-stage light gas guns. Ballistic limit diameters of three types of test pieces were obtained, and the impact damage characteristics of the bumpers, filling layers and rear wall were analyzed. The results showed that the hole size of the bumper was positively related with the diameter of the projectile. The basalt/aramid fiber filling layers had a strong crushing and energy dissipation effect on the projectile and the debris cloud, which reduced the damage to the pressurized cabin structure. The energy of the debris cloud along the main impact direction was the main factor causing the petal-shaped crack perforation of the rear wall. Based on the test data, the NASA Christiansen equation and the W-S hole size equation were modified using a genetic algorithm and a multivariate linear/nonlinear regression method, improving the prediction accuracy. The overall prediction rate increased from 59.1% to 100%, and the safety prediction rate increased from 81.8% to 100%. Two types of vulnerability models, including the impact limit equation and the hole size equation, were accurately established for the basalt/aramid fiber filled structure of a certain large Chinese manned spacecraft, providing a basis for the risk engineering assessment of on-orbit missions.