Characterization of debris clouds produced by oblique hypervelocity impact on staggered honeycomb core sandwich panels

Spacecraft must balance protective performance against mass constraints when facing hypervelocity impact threats. This makes honeycomb sandwich panels (HC/SP) a widely adopted solution. However, the channeling effect degrades their protective capability. To address this issue, this study investigates a novel staggered honeycomb core configuration under oblique impact conditions. Using the finite element-smoothed particle hydrodynamics (FE-SPH) adaptive method, we analyzed the morphological characteristics of debris clouds and the failure modes of staggered honeycomb core sandwich panels (SHC/SP) under 45° oblique hypervelocity impact (HVI). For the first time, two distinct morphological phenomena induced by the staggered core are identified and defined: (1) the peripheral sub-cell lag and separation phenomenon of the in-line debris cloud, and (2) the multiplicity and small-angle tilting phenomenon of the normal debris cloud. A structural characterization model of debris clouds under oblique hypervelocity impacts is established, revealing the physical mechanism by which the SHC/SP mitigates the channeling effect through multiple dispersion. The findings provide a foundation for optimizing impact-resistant structures.