489

THE POSSIBILITY OF CONCRETE PRODUCTION ON THE MOON

Noboru
instiaae Shtmixu No. 4-17 _ebuflma Koto-ku Tokyo Japan 135

N9

Ishikawa,
of Technology Corpora_n 3-cbome

Hiroshi

Kanamori,

and

Takeji

Okada

When

lunar

base

that

stands

on

the

Moon

for

a considerable

period

is constructe_

most

of

the

mater_.s for the construction would be natural resources on the Moon, mainly for economical reasons. In terms of economy and expltn'ting natural resources, concrete u_uld be the most suitable material for construction. 7his paper describes the possibility of concrete pm_luction on the Moon. The possible production methods are derived from the results of a series of e.xp_ments that were carried out taking two main envt_nmental features, low gravity acceleration and t_acuum, into consideration.

INTRODUCTION
When most produced The in detail of the the from ingredients in the base that permanently required resources lunar soft program. of the that has the (1)Raw (2) structural energy; and It has on and stands for the rocks It lunar is on the Moon is built, be

acceleration the was amount allowed

(lg, of

40g, bleeding

l12g, water for

300g, was seven mortar

and measured. days were

1062g)

were the density

set]

and

Finally, and the

mortar and

to strength of of

cure

materials natural of

construction Moon. have been

should

compressive The results

of the the

measured. shown amount on of Moreover, near-linear Table bleeding these 1. As the

experiment increases, strength (log in relation.

are the

investigated that, as can and for the be rocks use as

acceleration density, and Figure equation Based low that not the gravity under reduction the 1 and

gravity

water, values

Apollo

proposed concrete with advantages for

compressive

increase. g) have

construction manufactured on the the Moon.

material from cement

base,

logarithm shows representing on this on

of gravity the changes their the (_,

relationships. strength and an

is produced following materials a simple material; (4) Other

soil

compressive

Concrete material: the Moon; other less

construction on with requires to form the

concrete

exist process

result, the Mtxm gravity.

compressive g) is assumed

strength to be for

of mortar 10% this be affect lower

under than

abundantly compared process required On production the influence

production (3)The technologies

production are

Earth's in low

If concrete strength would not

is tLsed would seriously

experiment, around the 10%. quality

compressive gravity

structures. that obtained gravity materials on and the high under required Moon, vacuum, the this for study concrete examines the

Consequently, of concrete.

assumption are of easily low

and natural

evaluates environment

TABLE 1. Acceleration Gravity (g) of

The prt_erties

of mortar

influenced Density (g/cm) 2.15 2.18 2.20 2.24 2.24

by high

acceleration. Compressive Strength (MPa) 28.2 33.0 29.0 38,1 42.2

possibility of the Moon.

of concrete

production

Amount of Bleeding Water (ml) 1.1 2.6 2.8 3.6 3.9

INFLUENCE
The gravity low to segregation of gravity. the materials Such that

OF LOW GRAVITY
originates in concrete peculiarity concrete. low gravity A the difference rarely can be in happens specific under

! 40 112 300 1062

constituting a distinctive of dense how

disadvantageous test quality was of

acquisition to

fundamental affects the

performed concrete. The of of an the

examine

INFLUENCE
When exposed somewhere corLstruction exposed to a concrete to a vacuum between of the structure

OF VACUUM
is built on at the the of or the Moon, stage concrete of concrete execution and concrete would to see the is be how is

influence influence of low of

of of

low high

gravity gravity. can

is extrapolated This generally is because be reaction, to perform. has s/c = 2 and was placed of w/c gained

from very on as

the few Earth,

results hours and

environment the structure. the production If fresh quality of

a state experiment

gravity

a time-consuming difficult that portland

such

hydration

hardening concrete performed

of cemem,

is extremely mortar

vacuum,

As a specimen, c is high-early-strength a fixed separation acceleration amount

= 65% First

(where of all,

cement) mortar five was hours

used. into

somewhat vacuum

influenced. Experiments influences concrete. was under period). tempered a normal Then, under state concrete

were

of well-mixed Second, given to the

a centrifugal degree degrees of of and

A specimen cured

normal (20.1C) had

temperature for a

and fixed s/a

1 atm period = 40%,

machine. was

a particular different

specimen

[five

(precuring

w/c

= 54.9%,

490

2nd

Conference

on

Lunar

Bases

and

Space

Activities

2.0

and

10 cm

of

slump.

Normal

portland

cement

was

used

for

this

experiment.
O I< rr I V-O Z w rr

1.5

w >

K,I CSR= 0 I 16G) 0.5 0.1 I I I0

1+0.148 log (G) h 100 IOC_

Changes in compressive strength and unit weight of concrete in various precuring periods are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When the precuring period was less than four hours, compressive strength and unit weight of hardened concrete were far less than those of the specimen with standard curing; nevertheless, it would hold the moisture required by hydration, even if it is exposed to vacuum. Therefore, a porous structure created inside the concrete by" expansion and departure of air bubbles in the concrete and evalx)ration and diffusion of moisture, causes reduction of those properties. This porosity inside concrete was conu-med with the use of a scanning electron microscope. Based on this result, concrete should not be exposed to vacuum until a certain setting point is reached because vacuum affects concrete during the hardening process and lowers its quality.
ratio 1 g.

Fig.

1.

Influence

of

acceleration of mortar

of grwdty under high

on

CSR,

which

is the

of compressive

strength

gravit T vs. that under

PROPOSAL METHOD

FOR

THE

NEW

PRODUCTION ON THE MOON

OF CONCRETE

24O

220

2O0 E u

1_0
-r 1,0 Z w I0

IlO

It is necessary to make use of the Moon's natural environment in order to utilize concrete for the construction of various structures. However, with the results from the prior section, concrete containing moisture and air should not bc exposed to vacuum unless hydration of concrete proceeds up to a certain point. The lunar concrete method propoms a possible process under the natural environment of the Moon. Outline
The

120 --T [O0-

of the Lunar Concrete

production process cement would paste If the not or be

Method
be as follows: to be powdered is utilized, ice is produced or ice within special by onto

k_

8O

l. an

Water

or

is frozen lunar needed. paste board.

airtight

chamber. would water of a cold concrete's and powdered Since

environment Powdered inside a cold

equipment
40 I

I
2

spraying the surface 2. The

cement metallic

chamber

II 12

16

20

2_

F 1C_

structural ice, materials produced. are

materials, mixed are under ,solid Besides, the

such low

as

cement,

aggregate, and vacuum

temperature a uniform

PIRE

-CUR

I F,IG

PEqLQD

( m OL,'#,S

all is easily

particles, mixture water

concrete Fig. 2.
Co_crete.

mixture handled at low The in not

of concrete vapor pressure

Influence

of

precuring

period

on

compressive

strength

of

is easily of ice 3. placed should

under

vacuum is very

because low.

temperature mixture

concrete a prescribed be and placed with

at low

temperature temperature the

is transported of the concrete

and

location. raised

The

concrete mixture is

excessively placed. concrete energy applied

when

2_00

trans[x)rted 4.
%" E u 2S00

The

is covered from with as an for the applied external thawing

with outside.

airtight

material same

and time,

is thawed the concrete

At the and The prevention

is compacted is considered

vibration energy. and

pressure. is

Microwave
2200

concrete of water

covered evaporation. 5. The

with

airtight

material

concrete for in of extent, and the

is used a predetermined

as

a structural period. the After the

material A heat

after

having is used

1-

2100

been for

cured curing

insulator and

order the

to concrete. the

control

maximum concrete is

minimum to the

temperature
2000

is hardened from

certain

airtight

material

removed

concrete
0

concrete

is exposed

to vacuum.

An
PRE--CURI NG PERIOD (HOURS)

Examination As the fLrst method, as

of stage an

the of

Lunar examining

Concrete the with mortar

Method Ix)s,sibility the mixture use of of the mortar lunar was from

concrete Fig. 3. Influence of precuring period on unit weight of concrete. performed

experiment ( 1 ).The

follows:

is produced

Ishikau,a

et al.: Concrete

production

on the Moon

491

powdered ice, cement, and mixture is packed in an acrylic wave mortar in water flexural is applied mixture several at 20C strength, to the in mold the times mold,

fine aggregates; (2)The mortar mold (4 x 4 x 16cm); (3)Microa circumference during which specimen's and dynamic were 35%, 50%, portland the it; and (4)After to thaw mortar it is cured unit weight, of 65%, modulus and the is

water/ccment practical use figures, except

ratio

is 65%,

the

MW

,q'mcimen

has

quality

for

around

since significant for compressive

reduction in physical property strength, could not be found. of ratio each got lower, tho,_MW specimen ratios were

compressed

to compact strength, ratios

However, a_s the water/cement became smaller. Void ratios calculated 11% with cement these caused by mixing measured a 35% water/cement and 5.0% with reduction

for 28 days, compressive

the mortar

unit weight and mortar. The), were ratio, 7.1% with a 50% water/ a 65% water/cement ratio. From to be properties is considered

elasticity are measured. The mortar's water/cement with s/c = 2 and the microwave ice, those mortar A domestic The results I. Powdered dispersion Therefore, mortar clear powdered thawing. 2. The mortar powdered ratios ,specimen ice and of the properties (MW was that since the

ratio, results,

in physical

use of high-early-strength oven was used cement, materials was thawed the well and to irradiate fine did mixed. not are the following:

cement.

by lack of setting.

the specimens. Features had any high The in the by turing of the since cement cement advantages proceases Moon; ice can ratio paste (2)an can be of this method are under amount into low, and (1)most of the manufacu._d water/ the quality ice it became thawing reduced can be performed unnecessary disDersed relatively state maintained concrete; be equally in the the natural of water concrete, especially all the cement vapor, environment is not so the the when adhcsit)n. of the Lunar Concrete Method

of the experiment

aggregates have Also, powdered

uniformly ice because

by microwave. is needed specimen's during

However. or after was

final compacting

volume

(ff powdered because (3)only

ice is used,

of the standard produced shown in are

specimen with the Fig. 4. When

to the use tff the

specimen)

of cement is easily hydrate within the generated compacting (4) given mass state by heating concrete energy generated; which of those extent.

particles which is

microwave

ice, exists within the concrete mixture, so under vacuum is easier than in atmosphere; form of microwaves, strain mixture of labor the whole accompanying in the transporting, concrete thawing solid-phase and placing and ,so partial (5)concrete for mixing, a reduction

in the heated and enables facilities.

IO0

is uniformly influences

is hardly 9O concrete, cleaning 8O to some are 70

the facilities

in security

Possibilities

of basic

technology of the

for this method problems of under energy method

are confirmed to be solved and In the prt)cess vacuum.

Nevertheless, of concrete

immediate production

(1)examination

compacting production

(2)verification

future, technological problems of the will have to be examined in detail.

A

._ 6o
0 n" 4O 1. When a precast 30 At the time concrete concrete The 50 careful construction account

CONCLUSION
of a lunar city has to be planned precious of concrete structural pressure chamber by taking and production members, chamber. should not of the natural environment, methtxis for important in the in the pressure vapor need used should material,

human energy. Several possible on the Moon are shown below. is used panel

is produced

of pr(xluction,

O-UNIT 2O A_10 El-

WEIGHT STRENGTH STRENGTH MODULUS I TY ! 5O I 65 OF

be less than .saturated water Therefore 1-arm pressure chamber. 2. When members, environment pressure 3. When concrete precast vessel. concrete is used of the is M(x)n

pressure not be for less lunar

at curing maintained important under concrete member,

temperature. within the structural the natural in a closed it may be

FLEXURAL COMPRESSIVE DYNAMIC ELASTC

concrete

be produced

by curing

_}.I
35

as a nonbearing

w/c

(_)

produced under thc natural environment of the the concrete's surface should be covered with in which the concrete will be cured. An experimental with these appropriate performance verification methtxls ,ethnology or efticientT of concrete subject vacuum Besides, sufficient is a major has be

Mtxm. How(.wer, airtight material under future.

production in the near materials.

Fig. 4 The ratios of the properties of a standard .specimen to the mortar specimen (MW specimen) produced with the u,_ of lX)wdered ice and microwave.

to improved

to provide

for structural