Innovative development of geopolymer-based lunar high strength concrete for sustainable extra-terrestrial construction using large-scale regolith simulants

Shao, R; Wu, C; Li, J

Innovative development of geopolymer-based lunar high strength concrete for sustainable extra-terrestrial construction using large-scale regolith simulants

Shao, R

Wu, C

Li, J

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER SCI LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Construction and Building Materials, 2024, 450
Issue Date:: 2024-11-08

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Shao, R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2648-6892
dc.contributor.author	Wu, C https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8907-8493
dc.contributor.author	Li, J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2457-1994
dc.date.accessioned	2025-03-17T09:35:20Z
dc.date.available	2025-03-17T09:35:20Z
dc.date.issued	2024-11-08
dc.identifier.citation	Construction and Building Materials, 2024, 450
dc.identifier.issn	0950-0618
dc.identifier.issn	1879-0526
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/185936
dc.description.abstract	The quest for viable construction materials for lunar bases has directed scientific inquiry towards the lunar in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), notably lunar regolith, to synthesize concrete. This study develops an innovative lunar high strength concrete (LHSC) utilizing lunar highlands simulant (LHS-1) and lunar mare simulant (LMS-1) as both precursors and aggregates within the concrete matrix. Mixtures were cured under the conditions simulating the lunar surface temperatures, enabling an evaluation of properties such as flowability, unit weight, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and microstructure patterns. Test results indicated that the LMS-1 mixtures exhibited a better flowability and higher unit weight as compared to LHS-1 counterparts. Moreover, the highest 28-day strength was 106.7 MPa and 98.7 MPa for LHS-1 and LMS-1 derived LHSC, respectively. Microstructure analysis revealed that under the identical simulant additions, LHS-1 mixes exhibited superior structural compactness with denser amorphous gels and fewer microcracks. In addition, it possessed a lower Si/Al ratio and diffraction peak of calcite, along with a greater Ca/Si ratio and hump intensity of amorphous gel phases. The development of this cement-free LHSC, incorporating up to 80 % large-scale lunar materials in the total binder mass, plays a critical role in advancing ISRU on the Moon, thus boosting the viability and sustainability of future lunar construction and habitation while significantly reducing transportation and fabrication costs.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER SCI LTD
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP210101100
dc.relation.ispartof	Construction and Building Materials
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2024.138707
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0905 Civil Engineering, 1202 Building
dc.subject.classification	Building & Construction
dc.subject.classification	3302 Building
dc.subject.classification	4005 Civil engineering
dc.subject.classification	4016 Materials engineering
dc.title	Innovative development of geopolymer-based lunar high strength concrete for sustainable extra-terrestrial construction using large-scale regolith simulants
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	450
utslib.for	0905 Civil Engineering
utslib.for	1202 Building
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Built Infrastructure Resilience (CBIR)
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-03-17T09:35:09Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	450

Abstract:

The quest for viable construction materials for lunar bases has directed scientific inquiry towards the lunar in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), notably lunar regolith, to synthesize concrete. This study develops an innovative lunar high strength concrete (LHSC) utilizing lunar highlands simulant (LHS-1) and lunar mare simulant (LMS-1) as both precursors and aggregates within the concrete matrix. Mixtures were cured under the conditions simulating the lunar surface temperatures, enabling an evaluation of properties such as flowability, unit weight, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and microstructure patterns. Test results indicated that the LMS-1 mixtures exhibited a better flowability and higher unit weight as compared to LHS-1 counterparts. Moreover, the highest 28-day strength was 106.7 MPa and 98.7 MPa for LHS-1 and LMS-1 derived LHSC, respectively. Microstructure analysis revealed that under the identical simulant additions, LHS-1 mixes exhibited superior structural compactness with denser amorphous gels and fewer microcracks. In addition, it possessed a lower Si/Al ratio and diffraction peak of calcite, along with a greater Ca/Si ratio and hump intensity of amorphous gel phases. The development of this cement-free LHSC, incorporating up to 80 % large-scale lunar materials in the total binder mass, plays a critical role in advancing ISRU on the Moon, thus boosting the viability and sustainability of future lunar construction and habitation while significantly reducing transportation and fabrication costs.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/185936