Abstract:
High velocity projectiles cause damage to critical structures in space. Many of them travel at speeds of a few km/s to several hundred km/s. Such projectiles can punch through aircraft. In addition, bullets from modern weapons might reach 2.5 km/s. Spherical diamond projectiles are tested against Poly-Methyl-Metha-Acrylate (PMMA) and single-crystal corundum alumina (𝛼-Al2O3 ) thin films. PMMA is created from two configurations: random and oriented along impact direction. The penetration velocity (V50) of PMMA and 𝛼-alumina are found to be near 400 m/s and 4.5 km/s, respectively. This study indicates that PMMA sandwiched between two layers of alumina can be produced, with a thickness that can be calculated using specific penetration energies (𝐸∗ 𝑝 ) from the projectile radius, to stop most projectiles effectively.