International Concrete Abstracts Portal

Lunar Concrete is the exciting new symposium volume which explores the production and use of concrete on the moon. Contained within 20 technical papers from well-known authorities on lunar concrete are details on lunar base construction, use of lunar resources, lunar concrete formulation, forming and placing lunar concrete, reinforcing lunar concrete, and environmental effects of lunar concrete, optimizing lunar concrete and much more. It may at first seem outrageous that concrete could be considered as primary material of construction for use on the Moon. However, a small group of scientists and engineers, many of them represented in this collection of papers, have persevered in examining this outrageous premise. Most, perhaps all, of the materials needed to make concrete are naturally present on the lunar surface. Although they have to be extracted and transformed, the energy required to do that, and probably the cost, is much less than that which would be required to bring the same quantity of material from the Earth to use on the Moon. The technology for utilizing these natural materials of the Moon would appear to be straightforward modifications of techniques that have been developed for terrestrial applications. Note: The individual papers are also available as .pdf downloads.. Please click on the following link to view the papers available, or call 248.848.3800 to order. SP125

The recently established Lunar/Mars Program Office at Johnson Space Center is studying options that include construction of lunar outposts in the early twenty-first century, and subsequent structures for industrial operations. Major industrialization on the moon cannot occur without access to lunar resources. Construction of such structures as large pressurized habitats, launching facilities, lunar surface transportation systems, and liquefied oxygen storage tanks requires enormous volumes of materials. Experiments sponsored by the National Aeoronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and carried out at construction technology laboratories show the following: cements can be made from lunar anorthite and basalt; concrete made with lunar soils as aggregate has strength exceeding 10,000 psi; and a dry mixture of cement and aggregate wetted by injected steam will simplify concreting procedures and minimize needs for water and heavy equipment. In addition, a preliminary analysis of a prestressed precast concrete structure measuring 120 ft in diameter and 72 ft high shows that a properly designed concrete structure can confine atmospheric internal pressure. This project further investigates the effect of lunar temperature extremes on the behavior of precast concrete panels during the construction period. The major work involves calculations of heat flow in concrete panels exposed to the sun on the lunar surface and thermal stresses in the panels caused by the transient heat flow. Computer programs were written for the computations and results are presented.

Provides an overview of engineering studies performed in support of the Space Exploration Institute (SEI). Topics addressed include background on the SEI, lunar construction phases, lunar habitats, lunar oxygen, mechanical concepts, and lunar power. Although the topics do not relate equally to concrete construction, they do identify selected issues that must be addressed before a lunar outpost can evolve to the emplacement and operation phases. In these phases of lunar outpost development, maximum use will be made of native materials, such as lunar concrete.

It has been proposed that a large pressurized shirt sleeve environment assembly facility would be useful during all phases of lunar outpost development. This article discusses the use of such a facility during later phases of outpost development when use of native materials is maximized. The principle benefits from the use of a large pressurized facility are that workers needn't wear cumbersome, restrictive space suits and concrete needn't be cured in the vacuum environment of the moon. A specific assembly facility concept is presented and its conversion to a lunar precast concrete plant is discussed.

Early in the next century, humans will return to the surface of the moon for stays of increasingly longer duration. Many civil engineering challenges must be addressed so that these twenty-first century pioneers will have the shelter and life-support systems needed to survive and thrive in a largely benign but, in some ways, hostile environment. Depending on the stage of the lunar presence, different structures and processes will be feasible. Reliance on lunar resources, including manufactured forms such as lunar concrete, will become more important as the base size and maturity grows. It is the task of the universities in these endeavors to provide the basic knowledge to help meet these challenges and to produce enthusiastic and well-prepared graduates who can best continue to develop the solutions needed to support the expansion of humans into space. Educational programs in space civil engineering now undergoing development at Colorado State University under a NASA space grant college program are described. An undergraduate option that supplements the existing civil engineering program through a cluster of classes that can be taken within the existing elective structure is being developed. Concepts for an MS graduate program are also outlined.