Impact experiments on porous targets to study variation effects of physical properties of the surface of Solar System bodies
Ferri, F. ; Giacomuzzo, C. ; Pavarin, D. ; ...Flamini, E.
Aug - 2005

journal : Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society
type: Article Journal

Abstract
A dedicated experimental set-up has been implemented to carry out tests on targets of porous materials and icy-silicate mixture. Tests have been performed on different materials to study the craterization and catastrophic disruption of porous targets simulating asteroids, comet nuclei and icy satellites. Physical properties of the impacted materials are analyzed before, during (when possible) and after the event by means of the diagnostic tools available at the impact facility. The experimental set-up allows to evaluate crater morphology, volume, depth-diameter ratio, ejected mass-projectile mass ratio and to derive the fragment mass distribution. Preliminary numerical simulations by hydrocodes (SPH, Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics) have been run in parallel in order to model impact dynamics, cratering and disruption, and to validate the experimental tests

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