Lunar Regolith Simulants and Preparation Aimed at In-Situ Construction Technology

SUN Xiaoyan; ZHENG Xiaowei; WANG Hailong; WANG Guannan

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1007-9629.2025.01.010

Abstract：The in-situ development of building materials from lunar regolith is fundamental for the realization of Chinese lunar base and moon landing missions.The high-precision simulants requirements for alkali-activated concrete technology is addressed,the key control components and sensitive parameters for simulation is clarified,and a high-equivalent simulation process for lunar regolith production by distinguishing between cementitious and aggregate materials based on particle size ranges is established.The simulants of cementitious lunar regolith ensures high-equivalent chemical properties through the content and chemical composition of amorphous materials;aggregate lunar regolith achieves high-equivalent workability of wet mix through precise particle morphology simulation.The investigation reveals that the activation potential of cementitious lunar regolith largely depends on the content of amorphous material and the compositions of silicon,aluminum,and calcium,with the highest vitreous content in highland cementitious simulated lunar regolith reaching up to 35.9％,Al2O3 to CaO mass ratio of 1.65 and SiO2 content of 45.4％,could be used as suitable building material for alkali-activated lunar regolith concrete.The morphology of lunar regolith particles shows insensitivity to size changes,making particle size gradation crucial for simulating aggregate lunar regolith,which can be optimized by gradation before in-situ construction.