Vacuum sintering of the self-developed Chang’E-5 lunar regolith simulant

Abstract

The utilization of in-situ lunar resources through the additive manufacturing of lunar regolith (LR) has attracted considerable interest. Sintering of LR is considered a promising method for lunar construction due to its high utilization rate and excellent service stability. However, numerous studies have been carried out on Apollo series LRs with similar chemical compositions in air or inert gas atmospheres. The effects of the lunar ultra-high vacuum conditions and the complex chemical composition of LRs on the sintering process require extensive investigation. In this study, a self-developed Chang’E-5 lunar regolith simulant (LRS) with a high-Fe content was used as the only raw material to investigate its potential applicability for future lunar construction in vacuum environment. The effects of sintering temperature on the microstructure, linear shrinkage, bulk density, weight loss ratio, and mechanical and thermal expansion properties were investigated. The results show that the linear shrinkage and weight loss ratio increase with increasing sintering temperature. However, the bulk density and unconfined compressive strength (USC) initially increase and then decrease, with the sample sintered at 1075℃ giving the highest bulk density of 2.10 ± 0.03 g/cm3 and a USC of 31.19 ± 1.96 MPa. This is attributed to the transformation of the sample sintered at 1090℃ into a semi-porous material with many cracks. Furthermore, the mechanism of pore and crack formation was revealed. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CET) of the sintered samples is approximately 7×10–6°C−1, which maintains a good service stability after cyclic temperature stress from room temperature up to 200°C. Both the USC and CET of the sample sintered at 1075℃ are superior to those of common terrestrial concrete materials. This indicates that the vacuum sintering process appears feasible for the production of building materials with sufficient mechanical strength and thermal durability for lunar base construction.