Abstract
The in-situ development of building materials from lunar regolith is fundamental for the realization of China’s lunar base and moon landing missions, requiring multi-equivalent simulants based on compositional, petrological, and other phase information, while considering physical characteristics such as particle morphology and size distribution. The high-precision simulants requirements for alkali-activated concrete technology is addressed in this paper, the key control components and sensitive parameters for simulation is clarified, and a high-fidelity simulation process for lunar regolith production by distinguishing between cementitious and aggregate materials based on particle size ranges is established. The simulants of cementitious lunar regolith ensures high-equivalent chemical properties through the composition and proportion of amorphous materials; aggregate lunar regolith achieves high-equivalent workability of wet mix through precise particle morphology simulation. The investigation reveals that the activation potential of cementitious lunar regolith largely depends on the proportion of amorphous material and the ratios of silicon, aluminum, and calcium, with the highest vitreous content in highland cementitious simulated lunar regolith reaching up to 35.3 %, an Al2O3 to CaO ratio of 1.66, and a SiO2 content of 45.4%, could be used as suitable building material for alkali activated lunar regolith concrete. The morphology of lunar regolith particles shows insensitivity to size changes, making particle size grading crucial for simulating aggregate lunar regolith, which can be optimized by screening before in-situ construction. The tiered high equivalency lunar regolith simulation method established in this study provides technical support for the in-situ development of lunar regolith concrete and other construction materials, offering a reliable foundation for constructing lunar bases.
Key words: lunar regolith simulants; material activity; amorphous matter; particle morphology; gradation optimization
Biography
Sun Xiaoyan received her doctoral degree from Dalian University of Technology in June 2004, and worked at Zhejiang University after leaving Tsinghua University as a postdoctoral fellow in June 2006. She serves on several national academic committees, is the committee member of 11 codes/standards related to concrete 3D printing. Her research foucus on additive intelligent manufacturing of concrete structure. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal papers, published an academic monograph, authorized 22 invention patents on 3D printing technology, and awarded 2 second prizes of provincial science and technology.
