Manufacture of polymeric concrete on the Moon

Lee, Tai Sik; Lee, Jae-Ho; Ann, Ki Yong

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2015.04.004

Cited by 47 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…4 Both approaches, however, yielded much lower strengths than those obtained from regolithbased concretes also using process additives 56 or when conventional sintering techniques were used 46,57 where values ranging from 36 up to 150 MPa were recorded. It should be noted, though, that both these manufacturing routes require significant additional resources, whether equipment and/or materials, making them a more significant technical challenge to locate and operate on the Lunar surface.…”

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confidence: 99%

Mechanical behaviour of additively manufactured lunar regolith simulant components

Goulas

Binner

Engstrøm

et al. 2018

Proceedings of the IMechE

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Additive manufacturing and its related techniques have frequently been put forward as a promising candidate for planetary in-situ manufacturing, from building life-sustaining habitats on the Moon to fabricating various replacements parts, aiming to support future extra-terrestrial human activity. This paper investigates the mechanical behaviour of lunar regolith simulant material components, which is a potential future space engineering material, manufactured by a laser-based powder bed fusion additive manufacturing system. The influence of laser energy input during processing was associated with the evolution of component porosity, measured via optical and scanning electron microscopy in combination with gas expansion pycnometry. The compressive strength performance and Vickers microhardness of the components were analysed and related back to the processing history and resultant microstructure of the lunar regolith simulant build material. , with a maximum compressive strength of 4.2 ± 0.1 MPa and elastic modulus of 287.3 ± 6.6 MPa, the former is comparable to a typical masonry clay brick (3.5 MPa). The 2 AM parts also had an average hardness value of 657 ± 14 HV 0.05/15 , better than borosilicate glass (580 HV).This study has shed significant insight into realizing the potential of a laser-based powder bed fusion AM process to deliver functional engineering assets via in-situ and abundant material sources that can be potentially used for future engineering applications in aerospace and astronautics.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical behaviour of additively manufactured lunar regolith simulant components

Goulas

Binner

Engstrøm

et al. 2018

Proceedings of the IMechE

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“…[3][4][5]. The production of concrete-like material, which will be based on lunar rock, is the goal of long-term research by multiple teams [6][7][8][9]. It is worth considering that current construction experience is limited to the conditions on Earth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is worth considering that current construction experience is limited to the conditions on Earth. The conditions for material preparation and construction will be different on the Moon [7,8], due to a lack of atmosphere, extreme temperatures, and low gravitation. One of the options available in the world of construction research is the use of lunar soil simulants (LSS) [10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical Resistivity and Strength Parameters of Prismatic Mortar Samples Based on Standardized Sand and Lunar Aggregate Simulant

2022

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In situ resource utilization (ISRU) and automation are necessary. The logical first step of intention is to focus on our neighbor, the Moon, first. This work aims to expand our knowledge of the lunar aggregate simulant (LAS) based on ilmenite rock, which is available in Central Europe. Prismatic mortar samples were prepared based on standard sand and LAS. The measurements were conducted using several different destructive (DT) strength related tests and non-destructive (NDT) electrical resistivity measurement methods. The results were compared, and mutual correlation was evaluated. Finally, the ratio between volumetric (bulk) and surface resistivity tested on prismatic samples is presented. The results showed an average ratio of 7.19 for sand and 7.97 for ilmenite. The results show the potential feasibility of evaluating the properties of non-standard composite materials using durability-related NDT. The experimental testing presented that combines the DT and NDT methods in one sample represents a potential streamlining of the processes of future testing.

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“…Using the locally available resources, referred to as in‐situ resource utilisation (ISRU), is considered to be a crucial factor in achieving this aim (Anand et al, 2012; Carpenter et al, 2016; Crawford, 2015; Ellery, 2018; Larson et al, 2011; Lavoie & Spudis, 2016; Linne et al, 2015; Sacksteder & Sanders, 2007; Sanders, 2011; Sanders et al, 2008, 2010; Spudis & Lavoie, 2011). In the case of the Moon, the lunar soil (i.e., the surficial regolith) has proven to be a potentially viable feedstock for additive manufacturing and sintering processes (Balla et al, 2012; Cesaretti et al, 2014; Fateri & Gebhardt, 2015; Fateri et al, 2013; Goulas & Friel, 2016; Goulas et al, 2017, 2019; Labeaga‐Martínez et al, 2017; Meurisse et al, 2017, 2018; Taylor et al, 2018), oxygen extraction (Balasubramaniam et al, 2010; Lomax et al, 2020; Sargeant et al, 2020; Schlüter & Cowley, 2020), as well as construction purposes (Hintze & Quintana, 2013; Lim et al, 2017; Raju et al, 2014; Sik Lee et al, 2015; Toutanji et al, 2005; Werkheser et al, 2015). Nevertheless, ISRU applications come at the end of the ISRU process chain (Hadler et al, 2020; Just et al, 2020b; Pelech et al, 2021), as material must be first excavated and subsequently beneficiated, for example, in the form of grain size separation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and test of a Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES³) for the LUVMI‐X rover platform

Just

Roy

Joy

et al. 2021

Journal of Field Robotics

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Future sustained human presence on the Moon will require us to make use of lunar resources. This in‐situ resource utilisation (ISRU) process will require suitable feedstock (i.e., lunar regolith) that has been both acquired and prepared (or beneficiated) to set standards. Acquisition of pre‐processed regolith, is an often overlooked engineering challenge in the demanding and low‐gravity environment of the lunar surface. Currently, regolith excavation and size separation are often developed independently of each other. Here, we present the Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES3), which is an engineered one‐system solution to combine the acquisition of lunar regolith as well as separate it into two distinct size fractions, and therefore, can assist to define the quality of the feedstock material for ISRU processes. Intended for use with a lightweight (40–60 kg) lunar rover (LUnar Volatiles Mobile Instrumentation‐X; LUVMI‐X) currently under development, the mechanism utilises vibrations to reduce excavation forces and facilitate size separation. Low excavation forces are crucial for lunar excavators to be deployable on lightweight robotic platforms as limited traction forces are available. The rationale behind the mechanism is explained, its capabilities in the support of science and ISRU are showcased, and results from several laboratory test campaigns, including tests of gravitational dry sieving of different regolith simulants, are presented. The LES3 can excavate up to 100 g in a single charge while maintaining excavation forces of less than 8 N and having a mass of less than 2 kg. Finally, areas of improvement for a second iteration of the design are presented and explained. The LES3 proof of concept shows that combining of regolith excavation and size‐separation in a single mechanism is feasible.

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Manufacture of polymeric concrete on the Moon

Cited by 47 publications

References 8 publications

Mechanical behaviour of additively manufactured lunar regolith simulant components

Mechanical behaviour of additively manufactured lunar regolith simulant components

Electrical Resistivity and Strength Parameters of Prismatic Mortar Samples Based on Standardized Sand and Lunar Aggregate Simulant

Development and test of a Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES³) for the LUVMI‐X rover platform

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Manufacture of polymeric concrete on the Moon

Cited by 47 publications

References 8 publications

Mechanical behaviour of additively manufactured lunar regolith simulant components

Mechanical behaviour of additively manufactured lunar regolith simulant components

Electrical Resistivity and Strength Parameters of Prismatic Mortar Samples Based on Standardized Sand and Lunar Aggregate Simulant

Development and test of a Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES3) for the LUVMI‐X rover platform

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Development and test of a Lunar Excavation and Size Separation System (LES³) for the LUVMI‐X rover platform