Impacts into metals targets at velocities greater than 1 km s−1: A new online resource for the hypervelocity impact community and an illustration of the geometric change of debris cloud impact patterns with impact velocity

We announce the creation of a new online archive containing high resolution images, and measurements of over 200 metal plates impacted with a variety of projectiles at velocities between 1 and 8.5 km s−1. This archive is being made freely accessible for use by the shock physics and hypervelocity impact research communities. During the course of this archival work, it was discovered that debris cloud impact patterns from nylon projectiles form distinct geometric patterns, and that these patterns seem to fall into a distinct group depending on the projectile impact velocity. Complementary hydrocode modelling (using Ansysʹ AUTODYN) has been performed to try to recreate the patterns, but was not entirely successful, indicating that there is some physics that is not simulated within the hydrocode.