Physical,mechanical and thermal properties of vacuum sintered HUST-1 lunar regolith simulant

Establishing a base on the Moon is one of the new goals of human lunar exploration in recent years.Sintered lunar regolith is one of the most potential building materials for lunar bases.The physical,mechanical and thermal properties of sintered lunar regolith are vital performance indices for the structural design of a lunar base and analysis of many critical mechanical and thermal issues.In this study,the HUST-1 lunar regolith simulant(HLRS)was sintered at 1030,1040,1050,1060,1070,and 1080℃.The effect of sintering temperature on the compressive strength was investigated,and the exact value of the optimum vacuum sintering temperature was determined between 1040 and 1060℃.Then,the microstructure and material composition of vacuum sintered HLRS at different temperatures were characterized.It was found that the sintering temperature has no significant effect on the mineral composition in the temperature range of 1030-1080℃.Besides,the heat capacity,thermal conductivity,and coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE)of vacuum sintered HLRS at different temperatures were investigated.Specific heat capacity of sintered samples increases with the increase of test temperature within the temperature range from-75 to 145℃.Besides,the thermal conductivity of the sintered sample is proportional to density.Finally,the two temperatures of 1040 and 1050℃were selected for a more detailed study of mechanical properties.The results showed that compressive strength of sintered sample is much higher than tensile strength.This study reveals the effects of sintering temperature on the physical,mechanical and thermal properties of vacuum sintered HLRS,and these material parameters will provide support for the construction of future lunar bases.

Development and characterization of the PolyU-1 lunar regolith simulant based on Chang’e-5 returned samples

Leading national space exploration agencies and private enterprises are actively engaged in lunar exploration initiatives to accomplish manned lunar landings and establish permanent lunar bases in the forthcoming years.With limited access to lunar surface materials on Earth,lunar regolith simulants are crucial for lunar exploration research.The Chang’e-5(CE-5)samples have been characterized by state-of-the-art laboratory equipment,providing a unique opportunity to develop a high-quality lunar regolith simulant.We have prepared a high-fidelity PolyU-1 simulant by pulverizing,desiccating,sieving,and blending natural mineral materials on Earth based on key physical,mineral,and chemical characteristics of CE-5 samples.The results showed that the simulant has a high degree of consistency with the CE-5 samples in terms of the particle morphology,mineral and chemical composition.Direct shear tests were conducted on the simulant,and the measured internal friction angle and cohesion values can serve as references for determining the mechanical properties of CE-5 lunar regolith.The PolyU-1 simulant can contribute to experimental studies involving lunar regolith,including the assessment of interaction between rovers and lunar regolith,as well as the development of in-situ resource utilization(ISRU)technologies.

Lunar In Situ Large-Scale Construction:Quantitative Evaluation of Regolith Solidification Techniques

Lunar habitat construction is crucial for successful lunar exploration missions.Due to the limitations of transportation conditions,extensive global research has been conducted on lunar in situ material processing techniques in recent years.The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review,precise classification,and quantitative evaluation of these approaches,focusing specifically on four main approaches:reaction solidification(RS),sintering/melting(SM),bonding solidification(BS),and confinement formation(CF).Eight key indicators have been identified for the construction of low-cost and highperformance systems to assess the feasibility of these methods:in situ material ratio,curing temperature,curing time,implementation conditions,compressive strength,tensile strength,curing dimensions,and environmental adaptability.The scoring thresholds are determined by comparing the construction requirements with the actual capabilities.Among the evaluated methods,regolith bagging has emerged as a promising option due to its high in situ material ratio,low time requirement,lack of hightemperature requirements,and minimal shortcomings,with only the compressive strength falling below the neutral score.The compressive strength still maintains a value of 2–3 MPa.The proposed construction scheme utilizing regolith bags offers numerous advantages,including rapid and large-scale construction,ensured tensile strength,and reduced reliance on equipment and energy.In this study,guidelines for evaluating regolith solidification techniques are provided,and directions for improvement are offered.The proposed lunar habitat design based on regolith bags is a practical reference for future research.

Fundamental Study on Response Properties of Structures Constructed on Lunar Regolith

The Artemis Program, for constructing the lunar base, is in progress. How to design and construct architectural and civil engineering structures in the lunar environment has become an important issue. The lunar surface is covered with soft sand, called regolith, and it is required to protect lunar bases and structures, as well as internal precision equipment, against vibrational disturbances such as moonquakes and meteorite collisions. Therefore, in this study, the static and cyclic triaxial compression tests of the regolith simulant were conducted. The reference strain and equivalent damping factor of the regolith simulant were smaller compared to sandy soil on Earth. In addition, a shaking table test using model specimens was conducted on the response properties of regolith ground alone and structures set on regolith ground. The buried foundation and pile foundation notably suppressed the horizontal response attributed to the rocking component compared to a direct foundation.

Direct measurement and theoretical prediction model of interparticle adhesion force between irregular planetary regolith particles

Interparticle adhesion force has a controlling effect on the physical and mechanical properties of planetary regolith and rocks.The current research on the adhesion force of planetary regolith and rock particles has been primarily based on the assumption of smooth spherical particles to calculate the intergranular adhesion force;this approach lacks consideration for the adhesion force between irregular shaped particles.In our study,an innovative approach was established to directly measure the adhesion force between the arbitrary irregular shaped particles;the probe was modified using simulated lunar soil particles that were a typical representation of planetary regolith.The experimental results showed that for irregular shaped mineral particles,the particle size and mineral composition had no significant influence on the interparticle adhesion force;however,the complex morphology of the contact surface predominantly controlled the adhesion force.As the contact surface roughness increased,the adhesion force gradually decreased,and the rate of decrease gradually slowed;these results were consistent with the change trend predicted via the theoretical models of quantum electrodynamics.Moreover,a theoretical model to predict the adhesion force between the irregular shaped particles was constructed based on Rabinovich’s theory,and the prediction results were correlated with the experimental measurements.

Simulation Research on the Effect of Spreading Process Parameters on the Quality of Lunar Regolith Powder Bed in Additive Manufacturing

Lunar surface additive manufacturing with lunar regolith is a key step in in-situ resource utilization.The powder spreading process is the key process,which has a major impact on the quality of the powder bed and the precision of molded parts.In this study,the discrete element method(DEM)was adopted to simulate the powder spreading process with a roller.The three powder bed quality indicators,including the molding layer offset,voidage fraction,and surface roughness,were established.Besides,the influence of the three process parameters,which are roller’s translational speed,rotational speed,and powder spreading layer thickness on the powder bed quality indicators was also analyzed.The results show that with the reduction of the powder spreading layer thickness and the increase of the rotational speed,the offset increased significantly;when the translational speed increased,the offset first increased and then decreased,which resulted in an extreme value;with the increase of the layer thickness and the decrease of the translational speed,the values for voidage fraction and surface roughness significantly reduced.The powder bed quality indicators were adopted as the optimization objective,and the multi-objective parameter optimization was carried out.The predicted optimal powder spreading parameters and powder bed quality indicators were then obtained.Moreover,the optimal values were then verified.This study can provide informative guidance for in-situ manufacturing at the moon in future deep space exploration missions.

Review on retrieval of lunar regolith thickness by active and passive microwave measurements

It is one of the important methods to retrieve lunar regolith thickness using active and passive microwave techniques.The retrieval of lunar regolith thickness is based on microwave radiation transfer process simulation in the regolith media.The lunar regolith model is first introduced,and the features of the involved physical parameters are indicated thereafter,such as dielectric constants,surface roughness,particle size and thermal grads of the lunar regolith.The time delay and the migration of the radar echoes from the different interfaces is the key problem for active microwave measurement.And the simulation of the microwave radiative transfer in the regolith media is the important technique for the passive microwave measurement.The important parameters and the physical mechanism for the two measurements are also presented.

On Modeling Drilling Load in Lunar Regolith Simulant

Drilling and coring, as effective ways to obtain lunar regolith along the longitudinal direction, are widely applied in the lunar sampling field. Conventionally, modeling of drill-soil interaction was divided into soil cutting and screw conveyance processes, ignoring the differences in soil mechanical properties between them. To improve the modeling accuracy, a hypothesis that divides the drill-soil interaction into four parts: cuttings screw conveyance, cuttings extruding, cuttings bulldozing, and in situ simulant cutting, is proposed to establish a novel model based on the passive earth pressure theory. An iterative numerical calculation method is developed to predict the drilling loads. A drilling and coring testbed is developed to conduct experimental tests. Drilling experiments indicate that the drilling loads calculated by the proposed model match well the experimental results. The proposed research provides the instructions to adopt a suitable drilling strategy to match the rotary and penetrating motions, to increase the safety and reliability of drilling control in lunar sampling missions.

Preparation and characterization of a specialized lunar regolith simulant for use in lunar low gravity simulation

Lunar in-situ resource utilization(ISRU)has been put on the agenda by many countries.Due to the special material nature and low gravity environment,the lunar regolith demonstrates significantly different behavior from terrestrial geomaterials.However,the systematic understanding of its geotechnical behavior is now seriously restricted by the scarcity of lunar regolith and the difficulty in simulating lunar gravity.A new lunar regolith simulant,termed as China University of Mining and Technology Number One(CUMT-1),has been developed to recover properties of the lunar regolith and simulate the lunar gravity by adopting the recently advanced geotechnical magnetic-similitude-gravity model testing(GMMT)method.The CUMT-1 simulant was prepared by reproducing the in-situ formation and fragmentation of the lunar matrix,which plays a key role in the irregular particle morphology.The mineralogical compositions,particle morphology and gradation,specific gravity,bulk density,void ratio,shear strength,and compressibility were determined.After quantifying the magnetization and magnetic-similitude-gravity characteristics,an application of the cone penetration resistance under low gravity was further given.The obtained results are compared to the values known for lunar regolith samples and other simulants,which demonstrates promising characteristics for use in geotechnical engineering-based and scientificbased applications,especially considering the influence of lunar gravity.

Regolith thickness modeling using a GIS approach for landslide distribution analysis, NW Himalayas

Regolith thickness is considered as a contributing factor for the occurrence of landslides.Although, mostly it is ignored because of complex nature and as it requires more time and resources for investigation. This study aimed to appraise the role of regolith thickness on landslide distribution in the Muzaffarabad and surrounding areas, NW Himalayas.For this purpose regolith thickness samples were evenly collected from all the lithological units at representative sites within different slope and elevation classes in the field. Topographic attributes(slope, aspect, drainage, Topographic Wetness Index,elevation and curvature) were derived from the Digital Elevation Model(DEM)(12.5 m resolution).Arc GIS Model Builder was used to develop the regolith thickness model. Stepwise regression technique was used to explore the spatial variation of regolith thickness using topographic attributes and lithological units. The derived model explains about 88% regolith thickness variation. The model was validated and shows good agreement(70%) between observed and predicted values. Subsequently, the derived regolith model was used to understand the relationship between regolith thickness and landslide distribution. The analysis shows that most of the landslides were located within 1-5 m regolith thickness. However, landslide concentration is highest within 5-10 m regolith thickness, which shows that regolith thickness played a significant role for the occurrence of landslide in the studied area.

Noble Gases in the Lunar Regolith

The most fundamental character of lunar soil is its high concentrations of solar\|wind\|implanted elements, and the concentrations and behavior of the noble gases He, Ne, Ar, and Xe, which provide unique and extensive information about a broad range of fundamental problems. In this paper, the authors studied the forming mechanism of lunar regolith, and proposed that most of the noble gases in lunar regolith come from the solar wind. Meteoroid bombardment controls the maturity of lunar soil, with the degree of maturation decreasing with grain size; the concentrations of the noble gases would be of slight variation with the depth of lunar soil but tend to decrease with grain size. In addition, the concentrations of noble gases in lunar soil also show a close relationship with its mineral and chemical compositions. The utilization prospects of the noble gas \{\}\+\{\}\+3He in lunar regolith will be further discussed.

Influence of Temperature and Frequency on Microwave Dielectric Properties of Lunar Regolith Simulant

The dielectric constant of the lunar regolith can directly influence the reflection coefficient and the trans-mission coefficient of the Moon′s surface, and plays an important role in the Moon research. In order to study the di-electric properties of the lunar regolith, the lunar regolith simulant was made according to the making procedure of the CAS-1 simulant made by Chinese Academy of Sciences. Then the dielectric constants of the lunar regolith simulant were measured with 85070E Aiglent Microwave Network Analyzer in the frequency ranging from 0.2 GHz to 20.0 GHz and at temperature of 25.1℃, 17.7℃, 13.1℃, 11.5℃, 9.6℃, 8.0℃, 4.1℃, -0.3℃, -4.7℃, -9.5℃, -18.7℃, -27.7℃, and -32.6℃, respectively. The Odelevsky model was employed to remove the influence of water in the air on the final effective dielectric constants. The results indicate that frequency and temperature have apparent influences on the dielectric constants of the lunar regolith simulant. The real parts of the dielectric constants increase fast over the range of 0.2 GHz to 3.0 GHz, but decrease slowly over the range of 4.0 GHz to 20.0 GHz. The opposite phenomenon occurs in the imaginary parts. The influences of the frequency and temperature on the brightness temperature were also estimated based on the radiative transfer equation. The result shows that the variation of the frequency and temperature results in great changes of the microwave brightness temperature emitting from the lunar regolith.

Distribution of rare earth elements of granitic regolith under the influence of climate

The distribution and anomalies of rare earth elements(REEs) of granitic regolith were studied in Inner Mongolia and Hainan Island, China. One profile showed slight REE enrichment of an upper layer and no obvious light REE/heavy REE(LREE/HREE) fractionation(La_N/Yb_N of 0.9). The second profile was significantly enriched in REEs and enriched in LREEs in the upper portion(La_N/Yb_N>1.8). Eu, Ce, and Gd anomalies of the two profiles are different. Slightly negative Eu, Ce, and Gd anomalies in NMG-3-1 indicate slow dissolution of primary minerals and little secondary products; in contrast, a positive Eu anomaly in HN-2 suggests the vegetation cycle may contribute to soil. The Ce anomaly of HN-2 reflects oxidation of Ce and coprecipitation by Fe-and Mn-oxides and organic matter. Correlation between Ce and Gd anomalies in HN-2 suggests Ce and Gd are both influenced by redoxreduction.

Endomycorrhizal Fungi and <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i>Seed Germination on a Lunar Regolith Simulant

Endomycorrhizal fungi play an important role in the survival of plants on poor soils. Planting seeds into lunar soil at a lunar colony will be a challenge for seeds of any plant. The seeds will need a special microbial “tool kit” that will help them germinate and the young seedlings establish themselves. In this study, seeds of the prickly pear cactus, Opuntia ficus-indica, were chosen to examine the presence of fungus spores in the soil, inside the seeds and after germination in the rhizosphere, roots and other tissues of the young seedlings. The nutrient poor lunar regolith simulant JSC-1A was used as autoclaved or untreated growth medium. The mycorrhizal fungus Trichoderma viride was predominantly identified on the roots of new seedlings. This fungus also demonstrated the strongest effect on the germination rate of the seeds in comparison with other fungi isolated from the rhizosphere of Opuntia plants. T. viride was not detected within seeds and also not within seedlings, besides the root tips, whereas an arbuscular mycorrhizal Glomus species was seed-borne and present throughout most of the seedling. A close association between T. viride and a Glomus species associated with O. ficus-indica is demonstrated through light microscopic and electron microscopic images of the outside and inside root tips of the seedlings.

Regolith Geochemistry and Mineralogy of the Mbalam Itabirite-Hosted Iron Ore District, South Eastern Cameroon

Mbalam is a major emerging iron ore district in Cameroon. The regolith over the Mbalam itabirite, consists of relict, erosion and depositional units. Itabirite rock fabric is preserved in the relict regolith, the erosion unit is marked by erosion of the carapace cap regolith, with the depositional unit dominated by canga (loose fragments of hematite and/or itabirite cemented by goethite) or loose scree. Fe concentration increases from average of 46.18 wt% in the depositional soil material to as much as 79.08 wt% in the relict regolith regime with variation due to supergene weathering. Fe is the least mobile of the major elements, and the Fe oxides become significant phases and control the distributions of many elements. Absorption of P by iron oxides or oxyhydroxides appears to be the major mechanism of P retention in the different regolith environment. Au dispersion in the weathering profile occurs by two possible mechanisms (mechanical and hydromorphic) and it distribution is sporadic. Zr maintains a positive correlation with Al and Ti indicating extensive chemical weathering in the source area and resulting in a relative concentration of those residual elements. The weathered material show relatively high ΣREE;this is due to upward remobilisation from the lower primary itabirite, and the downward leaching of the upper mineralisation horizons by the descending epigenetic solutions.

Chemical element transfer of weathering granite regolith in the Three Gorges Dam region of Yangtze River

Clearing up sediment and regolith on the foundation of the dam in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in 1999, riverbed were exposed. On the basis of weathering granite regolith sampled from different portions of the valley landforms, by analysing total chemical contents with X rays fluorescent slice and calculating proper value of chemical element transferring ratio and intensity, the transferring law of chemical elements in different portions of the landforms were concluded: 1) In various landforms of the river valley, the process of desilication is not distinct; 2) in weathering granite regolith of riverbed, easy soluble CaO and MgO are relatively enriched whereas Al2O3 tends to decrease. The enriching rate of Fe2O3 is the greatest in various landforms of the river valley; 3) in weathering granite regolith of flood-plain, K2O and MgO contents are relatively enriched; 4) the weathering granite regolith of valley slope is a typical north subtropical weathering regolith, and its chemical weathering degree is in the transition phase from early to middle period; and 5) there is an opposite layer where K2O is relatively leaching and Na2O relatively enriching in 6.5 m depth of all weathering granite regolith.

SPH-BASED NUMERICAL ANALYSIS FOR GRANULAR MATERIAL MODEL OF SAND AND REGOLITH

The development of an innovative drilling system makes it necessary to model the material of extra-terrestrial soil , i.e.regolith or lunar soil.And then the drilling process is numerically simulated.Since real regolith is very scarce and costly , sand properties are investigated by means of experiments and sand model is constructed with the capability of partly reflecting these properties.With the use of smooth particle hydrodynamics ( SPH ) method in LS-DYNA , data analysis and modeling process are presented to reach the following achievements :( 1 ) Develop ageneral model approach of sand using SPH method ;( 2 ) Compare SPH results with experimental data to validate it ;( 3 ) Adapt the sand model to lunar soil while fitting the simulation of dual-reciprocating drilling ( DRD ) process.

The influence of climate and topography on chemical weathering of granitic regoliths in the monsoon region of China

Exploring the relationship between weathering and erosion is essential for understanding the evolution of landscapes and formation of soil under the influence of climate, tectonics, and topography. We measured the bulk chemistry of regoliths and calculated their weathering rates and intensity in three locations in China: Inner Mongolia in the mid-temperate semi-humid zone; Jiangxi Province, in the mid-subtropical humid zone; and Hainan Province, in the tropical humid zone. These profiles exhibited increased weathering with increasing temperature and precipitation.The low-gradient profile exhibited stronger weathering of saprolite than of soil, whereas the high-gradient profile showed a more constant weathering pattern. The regolith in the cold climate was the product of easily weatherable minerals, whereas weathering of K-feldspar and even secondary minerals occurred in hot and humid climates. The weathering of subtropical profiles was both supply-and kinetic-limited, controlled by weathering and erosion. The tropical profile experienced supply-limited weathering,indicating slow erosion and an intense weathering profile;the mid-temperate profile was not classifiable due to weak erosion and weathering. Long-term weathering fluxes of these profiles show that Si, Na, and K(or Mg) represent thebulk of the mass lost through weathering. This study underscores that weathering of granitic regolith is controlled by both climatic conditions and landscape.

Comparative Study and Spatial-Temporal Distribution of Regolith and Rock Geochemical Data from Xingmeng-North China

1 Introduction Geochemical mapping at national and continental scales continues to present challenges worldwide due to variations in geologic and geotectonic units.Use of the proper sampling media can provide rich information on

Regolith Geochemical Studies in Kimberlitic Terrain: A Case Study from Lattavaram Kimberlite Cluster, Eastern Dharwar Craton, Southern India

Utility of geochemistry in mineral exploration is known since more than half-a-century.In reconnaissance diamond exploration,regolith geochemistry is a well known tool worldwide and helps in distinguishing bedrock