Abstract
From the volumetric point of view, aggregate is the most important ingredient in any kind of concrete. It is impossible to use raw soil instead of aggregate to produce concrete. There are numerous reasons for not using soil for concrete production on Earth, and we should not use lunar soil for concrete production on the Moon for the same reasons. Nevertheless, almost all developed lunar concrete-like composites, such as sulphur or polymeric concretes, are based on raw lunar soil. In the research programme, cement composite based on lunar aggregate simulant was tested. The mechanical fracture properties of the composite were the key point of interest. It was proven that the tested lunar concrete is characterized by stable and uniform properties. The obtained results were compared with the properties of other ordinary cement composites.
Highlights
Ever since American astronauts went to the Moon in 1969, scientists have discussed the possibility of establishing a permanent human presence there
The density of hardened cement composite based on the lunar aggregate simulant (LAS) after 28 days of wet curing was equal to 3.290 kg·dm–3
Before fatigue tests, the bulk density of dry hardened cement composite based on the LAS was equal to 3.056 kg·dm–3
Summary
Ever since American astronauts went to the Moon in 1969, scientists have discussed the possibility of establishing a permanent human presence there. It was produced by countless impacts of meteorites over millions of years. Raw lunar soil should be rejected as a material for the production of concrete. There is no doubt that lunar concrete-like composites based on ilmenite lunar aggregate would be superior (both in terms of mechanical properties and endurance) over composites created using raw lunar soil. Ilmenite, which is a heavy mineral, is characterized by much higher radiation resistance [10] in comparison to raw lunar soil. Using ilmenite aggregate for concrete production would result in a composite characterized by significantly higher radiation resistance than concrete based on raw lunar soil
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