Evaluation of a Single-Stage Light-Gas Gun Facility in Malta: Business Analysis and Preliminary Design

Impact testing is a critical activity for many aerospace activities. Data on impacts can be employed to evaluate materials survivability, operations safety, and, if possible, to plan prompt maintenance. A classical impact testing facility usually employs Light-Gas Guns (LGGs) to evaluate the effect of collisions in a controlled laboratory environment. In particular, single stage LGGs are relatively simple in their working principle, as they consist in a pressurized gas reservoir and a barrel with a projectile placed in front of the experiment target. When the shot command is executed, the gas from the reservoir accelerates the projectile through the barrel; in first approximation, its velocity is related to the reservoir pressure, the barrel geometry, and the projectile velocity. In this context, The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) and the Centre of Studies and Activities for Space CISAS “Giuseppe Colombo” of the University of Padova have started a collaboration to develop a single stage LGG impact facility in Malta. In this paper, the conceptual evaluation and the development of the facility is introduced. First, the potential application of such facility in the framework of Malta aviation market as well as the business opportunities in the emerging space sector are presented. In a second part of this work, the LGG main design drivers are defined and a preliminary evaluation of the achievable projectile velocities is performed.