Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : September 05, 2021 - September 08, 2021
In recent years, low-cost planetary landing explorations have been proposed from a viewpoint of downsizing and mass reduction of space probes. In those mission, porous materials are being considered for shock absorption at landing. Therefore, it is necessary to numerically simulate the phenomena caused by the impact of a porous material onto the planetary regolith, and to assess the performance of such shock absorber. In this study, a new simulation model was developed based on Distinct Element Method to express the macroscopic deformation of a porous material receiving the compressive force. An impact and penetration problem onto regolith was numerically analyzed assuming polyurethan foam as a shock absorber. In the numerical analysis, the rectangular shock absorber was set in front of a cylindrical 10kg weight, and was dropped from a height of 1 m onto a box of silica sand. From the time history of calculated acceleration, it was successfully demonstrated that the deceleration G was significantly relaxed by the presence of the polyurethan foam and that such porous materials are promising for a shock absorbing material at landing on the lunar and planetary surface covered with regolith layer.
