2025/11/05 by Wen, Tongge, Yang, Xiaoyu, Roy, Sudeshna +2
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Interactions #Granular flow and fluidized beds #Planetary Science and Exploration #Space Physics (physics.space-ph)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2511.03449
openalex publication_date 2025/11/05 · openalex created_date 2025/11/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The extremely weak gravity on small bodies makes landers prone to rebound and uncontrolled drift. To mitigate this, the Hayabusa2 mission employed a particle-filled flexible shell, but the coupled dynamics of shell deformation and internal particle dissipation remain unclear. We develop a computational model representing the flexible shell as a spring-mass network and fully resolve particle collisions, friction, and interactions with granular beds. Results show the flexible shell-granule system dissipates over 90 percent of impact energy, far exceeding rigid shells. Energy loss arises from shell-particle coupling, with the particle filling ratio dominating. Impacts on rigid planes produce large shell deformation, while granular beds limit deformation. Scaling and velocity analyses reveal distinct dissipation regimes. These findings clarify energy transfer mechanisms and inform the design of microgravity impact mitigation devices.