Prediction of micrometeoroid damage to lunar construction materials using numerical modeling of hypervelocity impact events

•Seventeen hypervelocity impact experiments are conducted on Biopolymer-bound Soil Composite (BSC) targets.•A BSC material model is developed within CTH and 2D, axisymmetric numerical simulations of all 17 HVI experiments are conducted.•Crater dimensions between the experiments and the CTH simulations are compared, demonstrating that the model is accurate in predicting the experimental crater dimensions.•The CTH model is used to conduct simulations with extrapolated projectile sizes and velocities. These results are used to determine a ballistic limit equation for crater depth in BSC. The use of Lunar regolith for the creation of construction materials to build habitats and other infrastructure required for a Lunar base is an example of in situ resource utilization (ISRU), an important strategy for minimizing the launch mass associated with a NASA mission to the Moon. One class of solidified regolith, Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites (BSC), consists of regolith mixed with a small amount of biopolymer binding agent (10% w/w). This paper characterizes BSC's micrometeoroid impact performance using experimental and numerical methods. Micrometeoroids are a notable hazard of the Lunar environment and pose a challenging design consideration. A total of 17 hypervelocity impact experiments were conducted on BSC targets at NASA's White Sands Testing Facility. Numerical simulations of the hypervelocity impact experiments were carried out using CTH, a shock physics code developed by Sandia National Laboratories. Comparisons between the experimental craters and the simulation results indicate that there is good agreement between crater dimensions of the hypervelocity impact experiments and the CTH model. The CTH model developed in this paper provides (1) a damage prediction tool that allows for the necessary extrapolation of micrometeoroid impact velocities beyond what is experimentally achievable and into the velocity regime that is relevant for micrometeoroids and (2) a material design tool that is capable of varying material parameters computationally, ultimately allowing for the engineering and optimization of BSC's performance under impact loading.