Volume 44 Issue 3
Jun.  2024
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Article Navigation >  Chinese Journal of Space Science  > 2024  >  44(3): 511-524 Open Access
CHENG Shanshan, SHE Wei, GAO Yuyue, ZHOU Yan, WEN Shifeng, ZHOU Cheng. Research and Prospect of In-situ Construction Materials on Mars (in Chinese). Chinese Journal of Space Science, 2024, 44(3): 511-524 doi: 10.11728/cjss2024.03.2023-0137
Citation: CHENG Shanshan, SHE Wei, GAO Yuyue, ZHOU Yan, WEN Shifeng, ZHOU Cheng. Research and Prospect of In-situ Construction Materials on Mars (in Chinese). Chinese Journal of Space Science, 2024, 44(3): 511-524 doi: 10.11728/cjss2024.03.2023-0137
shu

Research and Prospect of In-situ Construction Materials on Mars

doi: 10.11728/cjss2024.03.2023-0137 cstr: 32142.14.cjss2024.03.2023-0137
  • 1.

    National Center of Technology Innovation for Digital Construction, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074

  • 2.

    School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074

  • 3.

    School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189

  • 4.

    School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074

  • Received Date: 2023-11-26
  • Rev Recd Date: 2023-12-28
    • Available Online: 2024-01-31
    Abstract
  • Martian regolith has gradually become a consensus as an important in-situ natural resource for building habitats and infrastructure on Mars. As more and more research focusing on in-situ utilization of Martian regolith, this article provides a comprehensive review of construction materials based on Martian regolith. However, it is necessary to consider the vastly different environmental conditions on Mars compared to Earth, such as low gravity, near vacuum, large temperature differences, cosmic ray radiation and so on. Similarly, due to the unique chemical composition, particle size, porosity, as well as thermal and mechanical properties of Martian regolith, it also brings several certain difficulties for in-situ production of construction materials on Mars. As a result, based on the extreme environment of Mars and the special properties of Martian regolith, this article provides a detailed overview of the preparation process and physical and mechanical characteristics of in-situ construction materials. Then, the research progress in two aspects of various Martian regolith-based concrete materials (including sulfur concrete, polymer concrete, geopolymer concrete, hydrogel-based concrete), Martian regolith-based melting and sintering materials is further emphasized. Moreover, this article systematically compares the preparation conditions and in-situ utilization rates of each construction material and analyzes both the advantages and weakness of their preparation processes in the special Martian environment. Finally, the problems and limitations of the above-mentioned materials in Martian in-situ construction are pointed out, including difficulties in production of polymer concrete, high energy consumption during melting and sintering processes, and insufficient service performance of construction materials in Martian environments. Accordingly, in order to provide useful references for the realization of in-situ construction on Mars in the future, the development direction of construction materials has been proposed in three aspects, which are the improved methods of anhydrous concrete represented by polymer concrete, optimization of melting and sintering processes and development of new materials suitably adapted to the environment.

     

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