Investigation on the Impact Fracture Mechanism of Rock in Microgravity Environment Using the Continuum-Discontinuum Element Method

In-depth analysis of asteroid samples will provide a key scientific basis for understanding its evolution history, resource utilization, and life origin. Obtaining rock samples from asteroids is getting more and more attention. However, successful sampling in asteroid is difficult due to extremely complex environmental conditions. In this paper, the dynamic processes of rock failure by sampling device are investigated by a continuum-discontinuum element method (CDEM) to instruct the rock sampling in asteroid. The deformation and failure of rock samples under different conditions (impact speeds, impact positions, rock cut-slot numbers, cut-slot spacings, cut-slot depths and cut-slot widths, etc.) are analyzed, and the relationships between the rock failure and hammer impact method are obtained. The results show that the cut-slot formed by grinding wheel increases the free surface of rock sample, which is beneficial to impact fracture and asteroid sampling. The relative distance between cut-slot free surface and impact position significantly affects the rock fracture under impact loading. The fracture degree of rock with single cut-slot is obviously smaller than that of rock with double cut-slots, the cut-slot scheme of double grinding wheels is more suitable for asteroid sampling. Under the impact loading, the rock fracture is negatively correlated with the cut-slot spacing formed by double grinding wheel cutting, the effective spacing of double cut-slots is 12 mm. The fracture unit number of rock varies nonlinearly with an increase of the depth from impact position, there is an optimal cut-slot depth corresponding to a certain impact velocity, and the rock crushing efficiency of asteroid sampling can be improved as the cut-slot depth matches the crack propagation depth.