Abstract DGP2026-59

Mechanically resilient subsurface structures are a critical enabler for sustained lunar surface operations, including landing pads, trafficable roads, and structural foundations. To ensure long-term economic viability, such infrastructure must be produced exclusively through in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Existing sintering approaches, such as laser, solar, or microwave processing - are primarily limited to near-surface material transformation, while binder-based methods rely on additives imported from Earth, increasing system mass, cost, and operational complexity.

This project investigates a novel method for deep lunar regolith consolidation that exploits the intrinsic glass content of lunar soil as a natural binder. The concept is based on inserting a cylindrical heating element into the regolith, enabling direct heat transfer to the subsurface and softening existing glass phases. This promotes viscous sintering between lithic and mineral particles without the use of external binders, analogous to agglutinate formation observed in lunar samples. The angular grain morphology and the lunar vacuum environment are expected to further enhance the sintering process.

The sharpness and high porosity of the lunar regolith as well as the vacuum atmosphere on the Moon may enhance the viscous sintering. As the viscous sintering process is expected to take place between the glass transition (which is only around 700°C-1000°C, depending on glass composition [1]) and the softening temperature of the glass, the process requires lower temperatures than conventional sintering, saving energy and allowing less complex materials to be used for the heating elements. Sintering times on the order of minutes to hours are expected, depending on regolith composition and environmental conditions [2].

References:

[1] Whittington, A., and Parsapoor, A. (2022) Lower Cost Lunar Bricks: Energetics of

Melting and Sintering Lunar Regolith Simulants. New Space, 10 (2), 193–204, DOI:

10.1089/space.2021.0055.

[2] Phinney, W., and Criswell, D. (1977) Lunar resources and their utilization, 3rd

Conference on Space Manufacturing Facilities, Reston, Virigina. American Institute of

Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reston, Virigina.