Changes of Chemical Compositions of Ejecta Induced by Hypervelocity Impacts

Abstract

In order to study changes of chemical compositions of ejecta scattered from dust-dust and dust-meteorite collisions in space, two laboratory hypervelocity impact experiments by a two-stage light gas gun were performed. As a common material stainless steel, SUS 304, was used for both projectiles and targets in these experiments. The behaviors of the elements, Fe, Ni, Co, Cr and Sb were studied and enrichments of Ni and Co and depletion of Sb were observed in smaller ejected fragments in the grain to grain collision. In the grain to large body collision, the behavior of the elements were so complicated, because both enrichment and oxidization of the elements occurred in the smallest ejecta.