Announcement

The 73rd Meeting of the Aeroballistic Range Association (ARA) will be held at the Stella Hotel in Bryan, Texas, from August 11-16, 2024, hosted by Texas A&M University. For more details, visit the meeting’s website.

The TAMU HVIL used its two-stage light gas gun (2SLGG) to subject the University of Texas mascot Bevo to 3 km/s (6,700 mph) hypervelocity impacts by 1.5 mm diameter aluminum spheres. The impact event was captured at 1,000,000 frames per second. No longhorns were harmed in the making of this film.

UT Longhorns, welcome to the SEC!

HVIL researcher Jacob Rogers successfully defended his dissertation on March 8, 2024. Jacob’s dissertation committee included Thomas Lacy (chair), Justin Wilkerson (co-chair), JN Reddy, Waruna Kulatilaka, Ned Thomas (not pictured), and Brian Schuster (not pictured). The title of his dissertation is “Ultra-High Strain Rate Impact Behavior in High Molecular Weight Thermoplastics.”

HVIL researcher Khari Harrison successfully defended his dissertation on January 12, 2024. Khari’s dissertation committee included Thomas Lacy (chair), Justin Wilkerson, Waruna Kulatilaka (not pictured), and George Pharr (not pictured). The title of his dissertation is “Investigations into the Hypervelocity Impact Response of High-Temperature Composite Materials for Thermal Protection Systems and Hot Structures.”

HVIL researcher Paul Mead successfully defended his dissertation on January 12, 2024. Paul’s dissertation committee included Thomas Lacy (chair), Justin Wilkerson (co-chair), JN Reddy (not pictured), and Hiroko Kitajima (not pictured). The title of his dissertation is “A Study of Hard and Soft Materials Subjected to Ballistic and Hypervelocity Impact.”

During the week of September 10th, 2023, Jacob Rogers represented the TAMU Hypervelocity Impact Laboratory (HVIL) at the 72nd Meeting of the Aeroballistic Range Association (ARA) in Tokyo, Japan (hosted by Hosei University, Kyushu Institute of Technology, and JAXA). Since its founding in 1961, the ARA has functioned as a hub for institutions involved in research and development centered around guns and similar launching mechanisms. The organization’s membership currently comprises 51 organizations, covering nearly the entire spectrum of work in this specialized field, along with significant participation from adjacent sectors.

The 73rd Meeting of the ARA will be hosted by Texas A&M University on August 11-16, 2024 at the Stella Hotel in Bryan, Texas.