Disintegration and separation of the bilobate-shaped meteoric fragment during hypersonic atmospheric entry
Ziwen Li, Yong Yu, Xiangyuan Zeng, Haoyu Li, Tongge Wen, Xiaoran Yan
Icarus
Available online 27 February 2025, 116537
“Highlights
- A novel method is introduced to simulate the dynamic evolution of bilobate-shaped meteoric fragments during atmospheric entry.
- The new method enhances the understanding of the geometry, strength, and rotation of the meteoric fragment.
- The disintegration mechanism of fragment 109 from the Morávka meteoroid is elucidated by applying the new method.
- Numerical simulations are employed to predict the influence of initial conditions on the dynamic evolution of the bilobate-shaped fragment.”
” A novel method for simulating the disintegration of bilobate-shaped meteoric fragments is presented, which integrates aerodynamic interactions, rotational dynamics, structural strength, and ablation into the analysis. A disintegration criterion is proposed in this method, based on a comparison between the mechanism strength of the sintered bond and the required contact force to maintain the integrity of the bilobate shape. The disintegration of fragment 109 from the Morávka meteoroid, which deviates from the Weibull-like scaling law, is explained physically by applying this approach. Predictive numerical simulations are conducted by varying the initial attitudes, geometries, strengths, and angular velocities of the bilobate-shaped fragments. During atmospheric entry, variations in attitude, landing positions, and residual masses are analyzed as indicators of characteristics in the dynamical evolution.”
