Hypervelocity impacts in the laboratory on hot rock targets. (2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Morris, A.J.W.; Burchell, M.J.
• Is Part Of: Procedia engineering. Volume 204(2017)
• Page Start: 300
• Page End: 307
• Publication Date: 2017
• Subjects: Rocks -- cratering -- temperature -- impacts; Engineering -- Congresses; Engineering -- Periodicals; Engineering; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 620.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2017.09.749
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1877-7058

Abstract

Abstract: The variation of impact crater size in rock has been investigated as a function of target temperature in the range 150 K – 1150 K. Three rock types were used: limestone, sandstone and basalt. A total of thirty impacts were observed, at a typical impact speed of 5 km s -1 with a 0.8 mm diameter stainless steel spherical projectile. The three rocks behaved in two ways. The craters in limestone and sandstone initially grew in size, until a maximum was reached at around 500 K. Crater size then fell again as temperature increased further. For basalt however, crater size fell as temperature increased, reaching a constant level above 800 K. This strongly suggests that crater sizes seen in experiments on Earth, should not be taken as typical, rather they are a function of rock temperature. It proved difficult to relate crater size to target strength, as data in the literature on rock strength vs. temperature were in some cases contradictory.