Strength and Durability Performance of Waterless Lunar Concrete
Abstract
The development of permanent lunar bases is constrained by performance of construction materials and availability of in-situ resources. Concrete seems a suitable construction material for the lunar environment, but water, one of its major components, is an extremely scarce resource on the Moon. This study explores an alternative to hydraulic concrete by replacing the binding mix of concrete (cement and water) with sulfur. Sulfur is a volatile element on the lunar surface that can be extracted from lunar soils by heating. Different sulfur concrete mixes were prepared to investigate the effect of extreme environmental conditions on the properties of sulfur concrete. The specimens were divided into 3 groups. The first group was kept at room temperature, the second group was subjected to constant freezing temperature of -27 o C, and the third group was subjected to 50 cycles of freeze/thaw exposure. Results show that the compressive strength of sulfur concrete is much higher than that of hydraulic cement-based concrete. The addition of silica increases the strength significantly; whereas the addition of dicyclopentadiene (DCP) reduces the strength. No significant reduction in strength was reported in any of the sulfur concrete specimens due to freeze-thaw or low temperature exposure. The addition of DCP showed an increase in strength due to a constant freezing condition. The technology constraints on the site selection and the performance of construction material under extreme lunar environments will be also highlighted.
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Sulfur concrete with 65 wt% JSC-1 simulant and 35 wt% sulfur showed average compressive strengths of 17.5, 15.7, and 17.6 MPa after room temperature, -27°C for 50 days, and 50 freeze/thaw cycles, respectively.
“Three samples were tested in each set and the average value of the compressive strength of the first, second, and third conditions were 2530, 2283, and 2559 psi (17.5, 15.7, and 17.6 MPa), respectively.”
From A comprehensive review of lunar-based manufacturing and construction (2024) · cites this paper as [339]
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Sulfur ‘concrete’ for lunar applications–Sublimation concerns
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- Authors
- Toutanji, H., Glenn-Loper, B., & Schrayshuen, B.
- Affiliations
- University of Alabama in Huntsville (US)
- ORCID
- Toutanji, H
- Venue
- 43rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit
- Published
- 2005-01-10
- OpenAlex
- W2111274243
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 15.21
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Structural mechanics and materials
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Concrete and Cement Materials Research
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Planetary Science and Exploration
- Keywords
- lunar concrete, sulfur concrete, lunar base, in-situ resource utilization, freeze-thaw resistance, low-temperature performance, compressive strength, silica addition, dicyclopentadiene, lunar regolith, lunar construction materials
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