title: Projectile-shape dependence of impact craters in loose granular media.
abstract: We report on the penetration of cylindrical projectiles dropped from rest into a dry, noncohesive granular medium. The cylinder length, diameter, density, and tip shape are all explicitly varied. For deep penetrations, as compared to the cylinder diameter, the data collapse onto a single scaling law that varies as the 1/3 power of the total drop distance, the 1/2 power of cylinder length, and the 1/6 power of cylinder diameter. For shallow penetrations, the projectile shape plays a crucial role with sharper objects penetrating deeper.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics & Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-1547, USA.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Newhall
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Durian