Aims. The tensile strength of granular matter is of great importance to our understanding of the evolution of comets and to our attempts to reproduce processes on cometary surfaces in laboratory experiments. In this work, we investigate the tensile strength of three different materials and their mixtures, which can be used as cometary analog materials in the laboratory. Methods. We used two types of siliceous dusts and granular water ice whose polydisperse particles were either angular or spherical. Our samples were cooled to below 150 K to better simulate the conditions of a cometary surface and to avoid thermal alteration of the material. We used the Brazilian disk test method to exert stress on the cooled samples and determine the tensile strength at the moment the samples broke. Results. We find that the tensile strength of two component mixtures is strongly dominated by the component with the higher tensile strength. The materials made of mostly angular dust particles have a lower filling fraction, but a higher tensile strength compared to materials made of spherical particles. Furthermore, the tensile strength of the cooled components is substantially lower than the tensile strength of the same components at room temperature. This implies that the surface energy of the investigated materials at low temperatures is significantly lower than previously assumed.

Aims. The morphology of cometary surfaces can provide important information to constrain the composition and evolution of comets. In this work, we investigate the sublimation behavior of comet analog materials and how the sample composition affects the evolution of morphological features in laboratory experiments. In our experiments, we used dust ice mixtures as analog material to form observed cometary morphologies. Methods. We used ice-dust mixtures in different mixing ratios as cometary analog material. In order to obtain realistic results, we scaled the expected cohesive and gravitational forces on comets to laboratory conditions. The samples were placed in a vacuum sublimation chamber and permanently cooled down to temperatures below 150 K to simulate the space environment. In the experiment, the samples were insolated with a light source from two different directions and alterations on the surface were recorded with a camera. Results. We find that the morphology of sublimation residues of ice-dust mixtures is strongly dependent on the ice-dust ratio as well as the insolation direction. High amounts of ice cause constant surface alteration and lead to exotic morphologies. Low amounts cause fewer and more episodic surface changes during its sublimation. Collapse events resulting in irregular and very rough surfaces occur during horizontal insolation.

Knowledge of the mechanical properties of protoplanetary and cometary matter is of key importance to better understand the activity of comets and the early stages of planet formation. The tensile strength determines the required pressure to lift off grains, pebbles and agglomerates from the cometary surface and also describes how much strain a macroscopic body can withstand before material failure occurs. As organic materials are ubiquitous in space, they could have played an important role during the planet formation process. This work provides new data on the tensile strength of five different micro-granular organic materials, namely, humic acid, paraffin, brown coal, charcoal and graphite. These materials are investigated by the so-called Brazilian Disc Test and the resulting tensile strength values are normalised to a standard grain size and volume filling factor. We find that the tensile strength of these materials ranges over four orders of magnitude. Graphite and paraffin possess tensile strengths much higher than silica, whereas coals have very low tensile strength values. This work demonstrates that organic materials are not generally stickier than silicates, or water ice, as often believed.

Context. Even after the Rosetta mission, some of the mechanical parameters of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s surface material are not yet well constrained. These parameters are needed to improve our understanding of cometary activity or for planning sample return missions. Aims. We study some of the physical processes involved in the formation of selected surface features and investigate the mechanical and geometrical parameters involved. Methods. Applying the discrete element method (DEM) in a low-gravity environment, we numerically simulated the surface layer particle dynamics involved in the formation of selected morphological features. The material considered is a mixture of polydisperse ice and dust spheres with inter-particle forces given by the Hertz contact model, translational friction, rolling friction, cohesion from unsintered contacts, and optionally due to bonds from ice sintering. We determined a working set of parameters that enables the simulations to be reasonably realistic and investigated morphological changes due to modifications thereof. Results. The selected morphological features are reasonably well reproduced using model materials with a tensile strength on the order of 1–10 Pa. Increasing the diameters of the spherical particles decreases the material strength, and increasing the friction leads to a more brittle but somewhat stronger material. High friction is required to make the material sufficiently brittle to match observations, which points to the presence of very rough, even angular particles. Reasonable seismic activity does not suffice to trigger the collapses of cliffs without material heterogeneities or structural defects. Conclusions. DEM modeling can be a powerful tool to investigate mechanical parameters of cometary surface material. However, many uncertainties arise from our limited understanding of particle shapes, spatial configurations, and size distributions, all on multiple length scales. Further numerical work, in situ measurements, and sample return missions are needed to better understand the mechanics of cometary material and cometary activity.

A carbon composite bipolar plate for PEM fuel cells has been developed that has high electrical conductivity, high strength, light weight, is impermeable, and has the potential for being produced at low cost. The plate is produced by slurry molding short carbon fibers into preform structures, molding features into the green body, and using chemical vapor infiltration to strengthen the material, give it high conductivity, and densify the surface to make it impermeable. Current efforts have focused on optimizing the fabrication process and characterizing prototypical components.