Dynamics of supersonic microparticle impact on elastomers revealed by real-time multi-frame imaging.

ABSTRACT: Understanding high-velocity microparticle impact is essential for many fields, from space exploration to medicine and biology. Investigations of microscale impact have hitherto been limited to post-mortem analysis of impacted specimens, which does not provide direct information on the impact dynamics. Here we report real-time multi-frame imaging studies of the impact of 7 μm diameter glass spheres traveling at 700-900 m/s on elastomer polymers. With a poly(urethane urea) (PUU) sample, we observe a hyperelastic impact phenomenon not seen on the macroscale: a microsphere undergoes a full conformal penetration into the specimen followed by a rebound which leaves the specimen unscathed. The results challenge the established interpretation of the behaviour of elastomers under high-velocity impa

SUBMITTER: Veysset D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4860635 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature