Automated Additive Construction (AAC) for Earth and Space Using In Situ Resources

Mueller, Robert P.; Howe, Scott; Kochmann, Dennis M.; Ali, Hisham; Andersen, Christian B.; Burgoyne, Hayden; Chambers, W.; Clinton, R. G.; Kestellier, Xavier De; Ebelt, Keye; Gerner, Shai; Hofmann, Douglas C.; Hogstrom, Kristina; Ilves, Erika; Jerves, Alex X.; Keenan, Ryan M.; Keravala, Jim; Khoshnevis, Behrokh; Lim, Sungwoo; Metzger, Philip T.; Meza, L. Itzel; Nakamura, Takashi; Nelson, Andrew J.; Partridge, Harry; Pettit, Donald R.; Pyle, Rod; Reiners, Eric; Shapiro, Andrew A.; Singer, Russell; Tan, Wei-Lin; Vazquez, Noel; Wilcox, Brian; Zelhofer, Alex

doi:10.1061/9780784479971.036

Cited by 28 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In the 3D printing technique, the regolith is firstly sintered, and then, a special binder is added to the regolith to make a substance with lower porosity and higher strength. For sintering the regolith, a number of methods are applicable: laser sintering, solar sintering, and microwave sintering [64]. Regarding laser and solar sintering, it can be said that the complexity, high energy consumption, and environmental challenges restrict the large-scale usability of such methods [22,[65][66][67].…”

Section: Aggregate Ability Of the Regolithmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding laser and solar sintering, it can be said that the complexity, high energy consumption, and environmental challenges restrict the large-scale usability of such methods [22,[65][66][67]. Microwave sintering appears to be more promising since it can melt the regolith to a much further depth compared to the laser and solar sintering methods [21,64]. A broad description of these three sintering techniques is provided in Section 2.4.…”

Section: Aggregate Ability Of the Regolithmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Survey on Extraterrestrial Habitation Structures with a Focus on Energy-Saving 3D Printing Techniques

Khalilidermani,

Knez

2023

Applied Sciences

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In the past two decades, various space agencies have shown great enthusiasm for constructing habitable structures on lunar and Martian surfaces. Consequently, several extraterrestrial structures have been proposed by different researchers. Nevertheless, only a small number of those structures are energy-efficient and cost-effective. In this research, a comprehensive review of the proposed extraterrestrial structures has been conducted. The objective is to evaluate different habitat construction techniques from technical, economic, and energy-consumption perspectives. To carry this out, different proposed structures are elaborated, and their advantages and limitations are discussed. The primary focus is on the 3D printing technique, which has demonstrated significant potential in automated manufacturing tasks. From the conducted research, it was found that the combination of 3D-printed components along with an internal breathable inflatable module is the most promising technique for habitat development on the Moon and Mars. Moreover, the microwave sintering method was identified as the most energy-saving and reliable approach for melting the on-site regolith for use in the 3D printing process. This survey has applied a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the most energy-saving planetary construction techniques that are economically crucial for different private or government-funded space agencies.

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Section: Aggregate Ability Of the Regolithmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Aggregate Ability Of the Regolithmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey on Extraterrestrial Habitation Structures with a Focus on Energy-Saving 3D Printing Techniques

Khalilidermani,

Knez

2023

Applied Sciences

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“…These include cast regolith [Happel 1993], sintered regolith [Taylor 2005], lunar concrete [Cesaretti 2014] [Toutanji 2005, 2006 [Happel 1993]. An excellent and more comprehensive summary of technologies and techniques is available in Mueller (2016). Based on potential materials of interest in the family of ceramics, the expected material strength for the regolith is assumed to be between 10 and 100 MPa with a density between 1000 to 3000 kg/m 3 based on prior work by Cesaretti and Happel [Cesaretti 2014] [Happel 1993.…”

Section: Lunar Habitats: Concepts and Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Preliminary research have highlighted the high cost of transporting resources from Earth's surface. Therefore recent efforts have focused on developing Earth-independent structural designs that use local regolith-based materials as a possible solution for long-term extraterrestrial sustainability [Werkheiser 2015] [Mueller 2016. With this in mind, we investigated the impact of material geometrical variables on reinforced concrete shells in five figures of merit in an effort to generalize the habitat design space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiobjective Optimization for Structural Design of Lunar Habitats

Sumini¹,

Wald²,

Mueller³

et al. 2018

Earth and Space 2018

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Much like their Earth-based counterparts, the requirements of future space habitat structures can be defined by their ability to protect their occupants and provide usable space to live and work in an extreme, isolated environment. Due to the high cost of transporting resources off of Earth's surface, recent efforts focus on developing increasingly Earth-independent structural designs. These new designs use local regolith-based materials as a possible solution for long-term extraterrestrial sustainability. With a focus on an Earth-independent habitat, this research looks at architectures that use spherical regolith-based concrete shells with carbon fiber polymer reinforcement. The research approach is to formulate the structural design problem as a multi-objective optimization of the habitat shell. The objectives that apply to the shell geometry and cross section include the minimization of transportation and construction costs, and the minimization of the probability of loss due to radiation and micrometeorite events. Direct trade-offs arise. The multiobjective optimization applies Pareto optimization to determine which design elements or options afford the greatest effectiveness or efficiency. The authors examine candidate design solutions based on priorities and performance thresholds which indicate that ISRU-based reinforced concrete may be a valuable future investment. While the cases presented here are limited to lunar surface systems, both the general architectures and the methodology for analysis and design are applicable to future Mars settlements.

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“…CC and D-Shape are investigating the possibility to use their technology to build structures using in situ resources such as regolith rock on the Moon, since sending raw construction material to the Moon is very difficult and expensive [36]. Another technology known as WASP (World's Advanced Saving Project) has focused on using AM technologies to build "zero-mile homes" that utilize on-site materials to creating housing in places where it is hard to find access to construction materials [21].…”

Section: In Situ Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of Additive Manufacturing in the Construction Industry A Prospective Review

Camacho

Clayton

O’Brien

et al. 2017

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC)

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Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, produces components by building-up structures from small deposits of materials. Many of the early applications of AM technologies have been in the aerospace, automotive, and healthcare industries. Building on the advances in AM in these industries, there are several experimental applications of AM in the construction sector. Early investigations suggest that use of AM technologies for construction have the potential to decrease labour costs, reduce material waste, and create customized complex geometries that are difficult to achieve using conventional construction techniques. However, these initial investigations do not cover the full range of potential applications for construction or exploit the rapidly maturing AM technologies for a variety of material types. This paper provides an up-to-date review of AM as it relates to the construction industry, identifies the trend of AM processes and materials being used, discusses related methods of implementing AM, and potential advancements in applications of AM. Examples of potential advancements in methods and applications include multi-material use (e.g., use of high-performance materials only in areas where they are needed), in-situ repair in locations that are difficult or dangerous for humans to access, disaster relief construction in areas with limited construction workforce and material resources, structural and non-structural elements with optimized topologies, and customized parts of high value. AM's future in the construction industry is promising, but interdisciplinary research is still needed to provide new materials, new processes, faster printing, quality assurance, and data on mechanical properties before AM can realize its full potential in infrastructure construction.

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Automated Additive Construction (AAC) for Earth and Space Using In Situ Resources

Abstract: For guidance on citations see FAQs.

Cited by 28 publications

References 40 publications

A Survey on Extraterrestrial Habitation Structures with a Focus on Energy-Saving 3D Printing Techniques

A Survey on Extraterrestrial Habitation Structures with a Focus on Energy-Saving 3D Printing Techniques

Multiobjective Optimization for Structural Design of Lunar Habitats

Applications of Additive Manufacturing in the Construction Industry A Prospective Review

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Automated Additive Construction (AAC) for Earth and Space Using In Situ Resources

Abstract: For guidance on citations see FAQs.

Cited by 28 publications

References 40 publications

A Survey on Extraterrestrial Habitation Structures with a Focus on Energy-Saving 3D Printing Techniques

A Survey on Extraterrestrial Habitation Structures with a Focus on Energy-Saving 3D Printing Techniques

Multiobjective Optimization for Structural Design of Lunar Habitats

Applications of Additive Manufacturing in the Construction Industry  A Prospective Review

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Product

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Applications of Additive Manufacturing in the Construction Industry A Prospective Review