title: 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 impact.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Veysset
authors.affiliation: Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|U.S. Army Research Laboratory, RDRL-WMM-G, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005-5069, USA.
authors.forename: Alex J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kooi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Alexei A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Maznev
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Research Laboratory, RDRL-WMM-G, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005-5069, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Masser
authors.affiliation: Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.|Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Nelson