RECENT DEVELOPMENTS OF CISAS NUMERICAL TOOL FOR IN-SPACE FRAGMENTATION

The Space Debris Group at the University of Padova is currently developing a numerical tool for simulating in-space fragmentation, based on an original software designed in the framework of a contract with the European Space Agency. It consists in a semi-empirical software, capable of modelling the breakup of complex objects and considering different collision scenarios. The working principle is based on the discretization of the involved bodies in a coarse mesh of macroscopic elements (MEs) representing the main parts of a satellite, connected by appropriately modelled structural links. During impact, MEs are subject to fragmentation, and structural damage can be transmitted through the links. The fragments generated can hit other elements thus creating a cascading effect until the elements reach too small a size. The rapidity of simulation, the possibility of modelling the impact geometry, and the extended library of materials being developed make this instrument extremely suitable for the study of in-space break-ups; in addition, the tool can be tuned and validated with experimental data from tests performed in the research group's facilities and literature data. In this paper, the current state of development and the latest updates of the numerical tool are presented, with particular focus on the tuning of the fragmentation models, the development of upgraded material libraries, and the inclusion of novel elements capable of simulating the explosion of pressurised elements.