Solar Sintering for Lunar Additive Manufacturing
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 6
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) is one of the most promising techniques for on-site manufacturing on extraterrestrial bodies. In this investigation, layerwise solar sintering under ambient and vacuum conditions targeting lunar exploration and a moon base was studied. A solar simulator was used in order to enable AM of interlockable building elements out of JSC-2A lunar regolith simulant. Solar additively manufactured samples were characterized mechanically regarding their compressive and bending properties. Moreover, samples were analyzed morphologically using X-ray tomography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) followed by density measurements. AM for identical process parameters led to final products with different physical and chemical characteristics when performed under ambient and vacuum conditions. Hence, process parameters were optimized under each individual working atmosphere. The experimental data were further integrated into finite-element (FE) calculations. This led to the refinement of the design of interlocking building elements for lunar applications. These blocks have the potential to form structures for shielding a pressurized inflatable habitat from radiation and micrometeorite impacts or creating nonpressurized shelters for robotic machinery.
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Acknowledgments
Project RegoLight has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 686202. The authors wish to thank Martin Thelen, Christian Willsch, Christian Raeder, Hans-Gerd Dibowski, Joseph Salini, Matthias Kolbe, Olfa Lopez, Anthony Rawson, and Valerie Morisseaux for their support during the test campaigns in Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)-Cologne.
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Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 32 • Issue 6 • November 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 21, 2018
Accepted: Jun 21, 2019
Published online: Sep 14, 2019
Published in print: Nov 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Feb 14, 2020
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