Microwave sintering of lunar regolith simulant for manufacturing building elements

Abstract

Development of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) method to construct space habitats and infrastructure on the lunar surface is required for supporting sustainable space exploration. In this respect, the lunar regolith can be an appropriate construction material, and the solidification process is essential for the manufacture of construction materials using lunar regolith. Meanwhile, the microwave process is regarded as an appropriate construction technology considering construction time and area, and energy efficiency on the lunar surface with environmental constraints. In this study, sintering of lunar regolith simulant (KLS-1) was performed by microwave radiation at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. The microstructural analysis of the sintered lunar regolith simulant has been investigated in detail using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, mechanical properties of the sintered lunar regolith were also evaluated by measuring compressive strength. The results of microstructural analysis and mechanical strength evaluation indicate that the microwave sintering method can be an appropriate ISRU method for manufacturing construction materials on the lunar surface.