• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.36 no.8
• /
• pp.17-25
• /
• 2020

Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology has constructed a large scale Dust Thermal Vacuum Chamber to simulate extreme lunar terrestrial environments and to study the Moon as an outposts for space development and exploration. Although a large amount of KLS-1 (Korean Lunar Simulant-1) is required for research, its massive production is practically difficult. This paper describes semi-automatic manufacturing system for massive production of KLS-1 in detail, which is seven times more efficient than manual production. In addition, to increase the similarity with lunar regolith, hydrogen reduction reaction using ilmenite which is one of the minerals was also conducted to simulate nanophase Fe(0) which is the unique property of lunar regolith. As a result, it was found that np-Fe(0) was formed at a temperature of 700℃ or higher, and increased in proportion to the temperature until 900℃.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.693-703
• /
• 2017

Rover wheel's mobility depends on soil's condition and wheel's design. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of soil conditions, which are Jumunjin sand and Korean lunar soil simulant (KLS-1), on wheel's motion performance. The experiments were performed by using a single wheel testbed with a wheel which grouser height is 15mm on Jumunjin sand and KLS-1, respectively. Also the influence of grouser length to wheel's mobility performance was studied. The experimental results of torque, drawbar pull and sinkage relating to slip ratio were discussed and analyzed to evaluate wheel's motion performance. Results showed wheel moving on KLS-1 has high performance than Jumunjin sand. Wheel's mobility performance was influenced by soil's properties of cohesion and frictional angle. In addition, wheel's performance of drawbar pull and Torque increased with the increasing of grouser length.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.13-18
• /
• 1998

It is well known in the fracture mechanics community that the fracture toughness of brittle materials, such as ceramics, can be improved improves significantly when fibers are added into the material. This is because in presence of fibers the cracks cannot propagate as freely as it can in absence of them. Fibers bridge the gap between two adjacent surfaces of the crack and reduce the crack tip opening displacement, thus make it harder to propagate. Several investigators have experimentally studied how the length, diameter and volume fraction of fibers affect the fracture toughness of chopped strand reinforced matrix composite materials. In this paper, matrix used ALS, Arizona Lunar Simulant, types of fiber used carbon steels and stainless steels. To analyze quantitatively fiber reinforced ALS composites, experimental and analytical methods was progressed. Load-displacement curve is used to experimental method, and FEM analysis program using ABAQUS is used analytical method.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.35-46
• /
• 2022

The in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) for sustainable lunar surface and deep space explorations has recently gained attention. Also, research on the development of construction material preparation technology using lunar regolith is in progress. Microwave sintering technology for construction material preparation does not require a binder and is energy efficient. This study applies microwave sintering technology to KLS-1, a Korean lunar simulant. It is crucial to secure the homogeneity to produce a sintered specimen for construction material. Therefore, understanding the interactions between microwaves, cavities, and raw materials is required. Using a numerical model in terms of efficient assessment of several cases and establishment of equipment operating conditions is a very efficient approach. Therefore, this study also proposes and verifies a coupled electric-thermal numerical model through cross-validation and comparison with experimental results. The numerical model proposed in this study will be used to present an efficient method for producing construction material using microwave sintering technology.