Moon sketch install#
The goal would be to install a continuous basalt fibre production line which would allow spinning of monofilaments and assembling these into rovings, possible addition of sizing to improve the mechanical properties of the filaments, and winding the filaments into spools.
Moon sketch full#
However, the lunar fibre extrusion process would require full control and automation to eliminate the need for the involvement of astronauts. On the Moon the fibre production would be similar to the production on Earth. On Earth the basalt fibre manufacturing can be divided into five main steps: preparation of raw materials, melting of the feedstock stone, homogenization of the melt, the spinning of the fibre, and finally drawing the fibre to a specific diameter. Only then the stone can be melted completely without residues, a suitable viscosity can be reached for fiber formation, and homogenous amorphous phase without crystalline areas can be gained after cooling down. On Earth the basalt fibre is produced using only one component, the grinded and melted basalt rock For the basalt to be spinnable it needs to contain at least 46% or more silica. Fibrous materials might offer a better performance in response to thermal stresses.Fibres enable the production of light-weight and highly optimized structures.Fibrous materials are highly formable which allows production of complex shapes in response to unique performance criteria or site conditions.Fibre based materials are suitable for both compression and tension structures, which extends the number of possible application areas.The use of continuous filament ensures a higher-fidelity manufacturing process due to better control over the placement of the material when compared to powders and liquids.The fibres can be individually oriented and placed in a structure for creating local variations in material properties.The textile fibre based materials have a number of advantages over materials produced by extrusion and sintering methods:
The continuous filament yarns can be used either as a single filament or as a bundle of multiple filaments, called roving, in a textile or composite assembly process. The drawing process, however, is necessary to reduce the diameter of the filament, orientate the molecular chains along the axis of the filament and increase the crystallization phase by elongating the fibre, which enhance the mechanical properties of the yarn. The filaments exiting the spinneret do not yet have the properties of a textile yarn due to disorderly placed molecular chains. While the fibres are extruded through the spinneret, the collector on the opposite side helps to draw the fibres into continuous textile filament yarns. The production of fibre based materials begins with the manufacturing of fibres by using different mechanical and chemical processes to draw fibres from viscous melt by melt spinning or from solution by gel, wet or dry spinning techniques. This gives the basalt fibres the dark coloration in contrast to the white and transparent glass and ceramic fibres. The main difference compared to other metal oxide fibres, such as glass fibres or ceramic fibres, is the content of iron oxides in the basalt fibres. Basalt is categorized, based on its main component SiO₂, into alkaline (up to 42% SiO₂), mildly acidic (43 to 46 % SiO₂) and acidic basalts (over 46% SiO₂), whereas only acidic basalts are suitable for continuous fibre production. Possible other components in smaller amounts are K₂O, Na₂O, and TiO₂. The main components of basalt are the metal oxides SiO₂, Al₂O₃, CaO, MgO, Fe₂O₃, and FeO. It is composed of the minerals plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine. Basalt Fibreīasalt fibre, very similar to fibreglass, is made of volcanic rock, mainly found in the lunar maria. For that purpose, a suitable resin needs to be identified based on its compatibility with the fibre, ease of in-situ manufacturing and required final properties of the composite. In the later stages of the study the application of the developed fibres will be investigated in manufacturing of lunar basalt fibre composites. The manufacturing of fibres will also be investigated in vacuum and compared to the ones extruded in ambient conditions, in order to understand the effects of space environment on fibre extrusion. In addition, the fibres will be mechanically, structurally and thermally characterized for more comprehensive overview of the final fibre properties. The current research aims to improve the mechanical properties of the lunar basalt fibre in an automated manufacturing process on the Moon, compared to the fibres developed so far in earlier studies, by identifying the best available simulant for fibre extrusion, optimizing the fibre manufacturing parameters, decreasing the final fibre diameter and post-processing the fibres.
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