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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: de Carvalho, Douglas Daniel, Franklin, Erick de Moraes
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27746
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author de Carvalho, Douglas Daniel
Franklin, Erick de Moraes
author_facet de Carvalho, Douglas Daniel
Franklin, Erick de Moraes
contents We investigate the roles of spin and packing fraction on the dynamics of cratering when a solid projectile impacts a granular bed at different incident angles. For that, we carried out DEM (discrete element method) computations in which we varied the magnitude and direction of the projectile spin, the impact velocity, the bed packing fraction, and the incident angle. For a given incident velocity, we found that the projectile can rebound for small angles, or be completely or partially buried for larger angles, and that when buried it can sometimes migrate large horizontal distances depending on the incident angle. We also found that increasing the packing fraction strengthens rebounds, and that the initial spin, depending on its direction and orientation, induces rebound, burying, or transverse deviations. The crater morphology also changes with the varying parameters, acquiring circular, elliptical, goutte-like, tadpole-like, and transitional shapes, correlating well with the projectile behavior. Finally, we propose diagrams organizing and classifying the dynamics observed. Our results shed new light on the different shapes of craters found in nature and the fate of the impacting material.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_27746
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Cratering by the oblique impact of a spinning projectile
de Carvalho, Douglas Daniel
Franklin, Erick de Moraes
Soft Condensed Matter
Geophysics
We investigate the roles of spin and packing fraction on the dynamics of cratering when a solid projectile impacts a granular bed at different incident angles. For that, we carried out DEM (discrete element method) computations in which we varied the magnitude and direction of the projectile spin, the impact velocity, the bed packing fraction, and the incident angle. For a given incident velocity, we found that the projectile can rebound for small angles, or be completely or partially buried for larger angles, and that when buried it can sometimes migrate large horizontal distances depending on the incident angle. We also found that increasing the packing fraction strengthens rebounds, and that the initial spin, depending on its direction and orientation, induces rebound, burying, or transverse deviations. The crater morphology also changes with the varying parameters, acquiring circular, elliptical, goutte-like, tadpole-like, and transitional shapes, correlating well with the projectile behavior. Finally, we propose diagrams organizing and classifying the dynamics observed. Our results shed new light on the different shapes of craters found in nature and the fate of the impacting material.
title Cratering by the oblique impact of a spinning projectile
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Geophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27746