Research and development on hypervelocity impact protection using Whipple shield: An overview

Whipple shield, a dual-wall system, as well as its improved structures, is widely applied to defend the hypervelocity impact of space debris (projectile). This paper reviews the studies about the mechanism and process of protection against hypervelocity impacts using Whipple shield. Ground-based experiment and numerical simulation for hypervelocity impact and protection are introduced briefly. Three steps of the Whipple shield protection are discussed in order, including the interaction between the projectile and bumper, the movement and diffusion of the debris cloud, and the interaction between the debris cloud and rear plate. Potential improvements of the protection performance focusing on these three steps are presented. Representative works in the last decade are mentioned specifically. Some prospects and suggestions for future studies are put forward. (c) 2020 China Ordnance Society. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This paper reviews the use of Whipple shield for defense against hypervelocity impacts of space debris, discussing the key steps of protection and potential improvements. Ground-based experiments and numerical simulations are briefly introduced, along with future prospects and suggestions for further studies.