The activities proposed in this effort are to complete the characterization of debris fragments resulting from the debrisat and debrislv hypervelocity impact (HVI) experiments conducted in 2014. In an…

The University of Florida's Division of Sponsored Research was awarded a $4.9 million grant by a civilian federal agency through its Shared Services Center to complete the characterization of debris fragments from the DEBRISAT and DEBRISLV hypervelocity impact experiments conducted in 2014. The project involves processing and cataloging debris fragments collected from these experiments, with work to be performed in Gainesville, Florida, and an ultimate completion date of January 1, 2027. The characterization effort encompasses determining each fragment's mass, size, shape, material content, color, and associated metadata, with processing focused on fragments measuring at least 2 millimeters in their smallest dimension.

To manage the large volume of fragments and ensure dataset integrity, the University of Florida will implement automated and batch-processing approaches while developing processes for continued efficiency improvements. This research grant represents no set-aside designation and reflects the university's established capability in conducting sophisticated scientific and technological research for federal agencies, leveraging its infrastructure as a major public research institution and land-grant university with extensive experience in aerospace and defense-related research initiatives.

The activities proposed in this effort are to complete the characterization of debris fragments resulting from the debrisat and debrislv hypervelocity impact (HVI) experiments conducted in 2014. In an effort to minimize damage to the generated debris fragments during these HVI experiments, a soft-catch arena was utilized between the test articles and the walls of the test chamber. The soft-catch arenas were identical for both HVI experiments and consisted of layers of low, medium, and high density foam panels arranged radially along the test chamber walls as well as upstream and downstream of the test article. Post-HVI experiments, all debris within the test chamber were carefully collected and shipped to the university of florida for processing and fragment characterization. Processing involves the collection and cataloging of all loose and embedded fragments with at least one liner dimension 2 MM and larger. Characterization involves the determination of each fragment s mass, size (characteristic length, average cross-sectional area, volume), shape, material content, color, and associated metadata (e.g., multiple images of the fragment, foam panel from which the fragment was retrieved, etc.). To ensure the integrity of the generated dataset (e.g., minimize variances due to operators) and due to the large number of fragments to be characterized, automated and batch-processing approaches will be implemented. In addition, processes for continued improvements in efficiency will be developed, tested, and implemented.