Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMIPropellant tank explosions are a major source of space debris. Simulations help to better understand critical failure conditions.
Fragmentation events are the main source of space debris in orbit. One of the causes is the explosion of propellant tanks from decommissioned satellites and upper stages. There are regulations for passivating these tanks at the end of the mission by releasing the internal pressure. In the 2024 experiment, we investigated the critical residual pressure and impact conditions of titanium space tanks, in which the hypervelocity impact of a particle turns into a catastrophic explosion. Supplemented by extensive simulations, the critical failure conditions are to be derived.
