Lunar soil brick and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of lunar in-situ construction, in particular to a lunar soil brick and a preparation method thereof.The preparation method comprises the following steps that S1, lunar soil is placed on a sintering platform, and then a Fresnel lens is fixed to the upper portion of the lunar soil; s2, adjusting the height and angle of the Fresnel lens to gather sunlight into a high-temperature light beam, projecting the high-temperature light beam onto the surface of the lunar soil, and performing high-temperature sintering; and S3, after sintering of a single layer of lunar soil is completed, covering a layer of lunar soil again, continuing high-temperature sintering, and repeating the steps until the lunar soil brick is formed. The preparation method of the lunar soil brick provided by the invention is convenient and practical, low in cost and more energy-saving; the lunar soil brick prepared by the preparation method provided by the invention is uniform in morphology and hard in texture, and the compressive strength meets the use requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of lunar in-situ construction technology, and in particular to a lunar soil brick and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0003] The lunar environment is very different from that of the Earth. It is in a state of ultra-vacuum, microgravity, strong radiation, and large temperature difference. It is always at risk of being hit by small meteorites. The physical and chemical properties of lunar soil are very different from those of Earth soil. People have proposed a variety of hypothetical solutions for building lunar scientific research bases, including special concrete and 3D printing. These construction technologies all involve the need to transport a large amount of equipment or raw materials to the moon, which is costly, and building materials including concrete are very easy to age in the strong radiation and large temperature difference environment of the moon, which cannot meet the needs of building a permanent base. Since there is no oxygen, water and microbial components in the lunar soil, it is irradiated by cosmic rays all year round, resulting in polygonal components in the lunar soil. Because of the low water content, it cannot be formed after compaction, so the in-situ mechanical compaction plan cannot be implemented. In-situ construction is currently a more feasible option for building a lunar base. Seeking to produce building materials from lunar soil through a large number of experiments is a prerequisite for construction. The currently disclosed methods of in-situ sintering of lunar soil include microwave sintering, laser sintering, etc., but these disclosed sintering methods have high energy consumption. For example, the unit energy consumption of microwave sintering reaches 6700-55000kwh / T, and the unit energy consumption of laser sintering reaches 360-8600kwh / T. The high energy consumption leads to an increase in construction costs. Therefore, seeking a low-energy consumption method for in-situ sintering of lunar soil has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a lunar soil brick and a preparation method thereof, which is convenient, practical, low-cost and more energy-efficient.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing lunar soil bricks, the preparation method comprising the following steps:

[0007] S1. Placing lunar soil on a sintering platform, and then fixing a Fresnel lens on the lunar soil;

[0008] S2, adjusting the height and angle of the Fresnel lens to collect sunlight into a high-temperature beam and project it onto the surface of the lunar soil for high-temperature sintering;

[0009] S3. After the sintering of a single layer of the lunar soil is completed, a new layer is covered and the high-temperature sintering is continued, and the cycle is repeated until the lunar soil bricks are formed.

[0010] The preparation method is convenient, practical, low-cost and more energy-efficient.

[0011] Furthermore, the Fresnel lens is a linear Fresnel lens.

[0012] Furthermore, the Fresnel lens is fixed above the lunar soil by a bracket, and the bracket is movable.

[0013] Furthermore, the high-temperature sintering includes: focusing sunlight into a high-temperature light beam and projecting it into an area on the surface of the lunar soil, pausing for 20 to 50 seconds, and then moving the lunar soil to the next area and continuing to pause for 20 to 50 seconds until a layer is formed.

[0014] Furthermore, the thickness of the Fresnel lens is 1.9±0.2 mm, and the material is PMMA.

[0015] Furthermore, in step S3, the thickness of the single layer is 1 to 3 mm.

[0016] Furthermore, the back side of the Fresnel lens is composed of a plurality of triangular lenses and rectangular lenses.

[0017] Furthermore, the upper surface of the Fresnel lens faces the sun.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a lunar soil brick, which is prepared by the preparation method described in the first aspect.

[0019] Furthermore, the compressive strength of the lunar soil brick is 5 to 7 MPa.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the present invention has at least the following technical effects:

[0021] (1) The preparation method of the lunar soil bricks provided by the present invention is convenient, practical, low-cost and more energy-efficient.

[0022] (2) The lunar soil bricks obtained by the preparation method provided by the present invention have uniform morphology, hard texture, and compressive strength that meets the use requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The drawings constituting a part of the present application are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. Among them:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a picture of the finished product of the lunar soil brick prepared in Example 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments are only to help understand the present invention and should not be regarded as specific limitations of the present invention. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. The process parameters of the following embodiments that do not specify specific conditions are usually based on conventional conditions.

[0026] The endpoints and any values ​​of the ranges disclosed in the present invention are not limited to the precise ranges or values, and these ranges or values ​​should be understood to include values ​​close to these ranges or values. For numerical ranges, the endpoint values ​​of each range, the endpoint values ​​of each range and the individual point values, and the individual point values ​​can be combined with each other to obtain one or more new numerical ranges, which should be regarded as specifically disclosed in the present invention.

[0027] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing lunar soil bricks, the preparation method comprising the following steps:

[0028] S1. Placing lunar soil on a sintering platform, and then fixing a Fresnel lens on the lunar soil;

[0029] S2, adjusting the height and angle of the Fresnel lens to collect sunlight into a high-temperature beam and project it onto the surface of the lunar soil for high-temperature sintering;

[0030] S3. After the sintering of a single layer of the lunar soil is completed, a new layer is covered and the high-temperature sintering is continued, and the cycle is repeated until the lunar soil bricks are formed.

[0031] The preparation method of the lunar soil bricks provided by the present invention is convenient, practical, low-cost and more energy-efficient; the lunar soil bricks obtained by the preparation method provided by the present invention have uniform morphology, hard texture and compressive strength that meets the use requirements.

[0032] In the above-mentioned method for preparing lunar soil bricks, as an optional implementation, the Fresnel lens is a linear Fresnel lens.

[0033] In the above-mentioned method for preparing lunar soil bricks, as an optional implementation, the Fresnel lens is fixed above the lunar soil by a bracket, and the bracket is movable.

[0034] In the above-mentioned method for preparing lunar soil bricks, as an optional implementation, the high-temperature sintering includes: focusing sunlight into a high-temperature light beam and projecting it into an area on the surface of the lunar soil, pausing for 20 to 50 seconds (for example, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds or 50 seconds), and then moving the lunar soil to the next area and continuing to pause for 20 to 50 seconds until a layer is formed.

[0035] In the above-mentioned method for preparing lunar soil bricks, as an optional implementation, the thickness of the Fresnel lens is 1.9±0.2 mm, and the material is PMMA.

[0036] In the above-mentioned method for preparing lunar soil bricks, as an optional implementation, in step S3, the thickness of a single layer is 1 to 3 mm.

[0037] In the above-mentioned method for preparing lunar soil bricks, as an optional implementation, the back side of the Fresnel lens is composed of a plurality of triangular lenses and rectangular lenses.

[0038] In the above-mentioned method for preparing lunar soil bricks, as an optional implementation, the upper surface of the Fresnel lens faces the sun.

[0039] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a lunar soil brick, which is prepared by the preparation method described in the first aspect.

[0040] The lunar soil bricks provided by the present invention have uniform morphology, hard texture, and compressive strength that meets the use requirements. They will greatly meet the demand for basic raw materials required for lunar base construction, effectively reduce the risks and costs of lunar development and construction, and are conducive to the formation of engineering plans that conform to in-situ construction in the lunar environment. They can greatly reduce the construction cost of space bases and provide a reference plan for the construction of future extraterrestrial scientific research bases such as Mars.

[0041] In view of the special environment of the moon, based on the concept of in-situ construction, full use of solar energy, and a combination of Fresnel lenses, lunar soil bricks are made through a high-temperature sintering process, making it possible to mass-produce building materials in outer space.

[0042] In the above-mentioned lunar soil bricks, the compressive strength of the lunar soil bricks is 5 to 7 MPa.

[0043] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and comparative examples.

[0044] It should be noted that, considering the convenience of the experiment, a lunar soil simulant is used instead of lunar soil to further describe the present invention in detail. The lunar soil simulants used in the following embodiments and comparative examples are all lunar soil simulants of SimulTek Canada, with the order number SC-080A, and the specific technical specifications are as follows: average particle size: 50 μm; median particle size: 45 μm; particle size range: 0.04 μm-300 μm; component specifications: pyroxene accounts for 32.8 wt.%, basalt glass accounts for 24.5 wt.%, plagioclase accounts for 19.8 wt.%, olivine accounts for 11.1 wt.%, basalt accounts for 7.5 wt.%, and ilmenite accounts for 4.3 wt.%; the performance comparison between the simulated lunar soil and the lunar soil is shown in Table 1:

[0045] Table 1

[0046]

[0047] Example 1

[0048] The method for preparing the lunar soil bricks provided in this embodiment comprises the following steps:

[0049] S1. Place a lunar soil simulant in a container, and then fix a linear Fresnel lens on top of the lunar soil simulant through a movable bracket, wherein the back of the linear Fresnel lens is composed of a plurality of triangular lenses and rectangular lenses, the upper surface of the linear Fresnel lens faces the sun, the thickness of the linear Fresnel lens is 1.9 mm, and the material is PMMA;

[0050] S2, adjusting the height and angle of the Fresnel lens to focus sunlight into a high-temperature beam and project it onto an area on the surface of the lunar soil simulant, pausing for 20 seconds, and then moving the lunar soil simulant to the next area and pausing for another 20 seconds until a layer is formed;

[0051] S3. After the sintering of a single layer of the lunar soil simulant is completed, a new layer is covered and the high-temperature sintering is continued, and the cycle is repeated until the lunar soil brick is formed, wherein the thickness of a single layer is 1 mm.

[0052] The lunar soil brick prepared in this embodiment is a sintered material with a length of 23.98 mm, a width of 14.89 mm, and a thickness of 6 mm, and a compressive strength of 6.3 Mpa. Figure 1 This is the finished product of the lunar soil brick prepared in this embodiment. Figure 1 It can be seen that the lunar soil brick (sintered material) has a uniform morphology.

[0053] Example 2

[0054] The method for preparing the lunar soil bricks provided in this embodiment comprises the following steps:

[0055] S1. Place a lunar soil simulant in a container, and then fix a linear Fresnel lens on top of the lunar soil simulant through a movable bracket, wherein the back of the linear Fresnel lens is composed of a plurality of triangular lenses and rectangular lenses, the upper surface of the linear Fresnel lens faces the sun, the thickness of the linear Fresnel lens is 1.9 mm, and the material is PMMA;

[0056] S2, adjusting the height and angle of the Fresnel lens to focus sunlight into a high-temperature beam and project it onto an area on the surface of the lunar soil simulant, pausing for 30 seconds, and then moving the lunar soil simulant to the next area and pausing for another 30 seconds until a layer is formed;

[0057] S3. After the sintering of a single layer of the lunar soil simulant is completed, a new layer is covered and the high-temperature sintering is continued, and the cycle is repeated until the lunar soil brick is formed, wherein the thickness of a single layer is 2 mm.

[0058] The compressive strength of the lunar soil bricks prepared in this embodiment is 6.1 MPa.

[0059] Example 3

[0060] The method for preparing the lunar soil bricks provided in this embodiment comprises the following steps:

[0061] S1. Place a lunar soil simulant in a container, and then fix a linear Fresnel lens on top of the lunar soil simulant through a movable bracket, wherein the back of the linear Fresnel lens is composed of a plurality of triangular lenses and rectangular lenses, the upper surface of the linear Fresnel lens faces the sun, the thickness of the linear Fresnel lens is 1.9 mm, and the material is PMMA;

[0062] S2, adjusting the height and angle of the Fresnel lens to focus sunlight into a high-temperature beam and project it onto an area on the surface of the lunar soil simulant, pausing for 50 seconds, and then moving the lunar soil simulant to the next area and pausing for another 50 seconds until a layer is formed;

[0063] S3. After the sintering of a single layer of the lunar soil simulant is completed, a new layer is covered and the high-temperature sintering is continued, and the cycle is repeated until the lunar soil brick is formed, wherein the thickness of a single layer is 3 mm.

[0064] The compressive strength of the lunar soil bricks prepared in this embodiment is 5.8 MPa.

[0065] Comparative Example 1

[0066] The preparation method of the lunar soil brick provided in this comparative example comprises the following steps:

[0067] S1. Place a lunar soil simulant in a container, and then fix a linear Fresnel lens on top of the lunar soil simulant through a movable bracket, wherein the back of the linear Fresnel lens is composed of a plurality of triangular lenses and rectangular lenses, the upper surface of the linear Fresnel lens faces the sun, the thickness of the linear Fresnel lens is 1.9 mm, and the material is PMMA;

[0068] S2, adjusting the height and angle of the Fresnel lens to focus sunlight into a high-temperature beam and project it onto an area on the surface of the lunar soil simulant, pausing for 10 seconds, and then moving the lunar soil simulant to the next area and pausing for another 10 seconds until a layer is formed;

[0069] S3. After the sintering of a single layer of the lunar soil simulant is completed, a new layer is covered and the high-temperature sintering is continued, and the cycle is repeated until the lunar soil brick is formed, wherein the thickness of a single layer is 1 mm.

[0070] The compressive strength of the lunar soil bricks prepared in this comparative example is 4.1 MPa.

[0071] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing lunar soil bricks, characterized in that: The preparation method comprises the following steps: S1. Placing lunar soil on a sintering platform, and then fixing a Fresnel lens on the lunar soil; S2, adjusting the height and angle of the Fresnel lens to collect sunlight into a high-temperature beam and project it onto the surface of the lunar soil for high-temperature sintering; S3. After the sintering of a single layer of the lunar soil is completed, a new layer is covered and the high-temperature sintering is continued, and the cycle is repeated until the lunar soil bricks are formed.

2. The method for preparing lunar soil bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The Fresnel lens is a linear Fresnel lens.

3. The method for preparing lunar soil bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The Fresnel lens is fixed above the lunar soil by a bracket, and the bracket is movable.

4. The method for preparing lunar soil bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-temperature sintering includes: focusing sunlight into a high-temperature light beam and projecting it into an area on the surface of the lunar soil, pausing for 20 to 50 seconds, and then moving the lunar soil to the next area and continuing to pause for 20 to 50 seconds until a layer is formed.

5. The method for preparing lunar soil bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the Fresnel lens is 1.9±0.2 mm, and the material is PMMA.

6. The method for preparing lunar soil bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S3, the thickness of a single layer is 1 to 3 mm.

7. The method for preparing lunar soil bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The back side of the Fresnel lens is composed of a plurality of triangular lenses and rectangular lenses.

8. The method for preparing lunar soil bricks according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the Fresnel lens faces the sun.

9. A lunar soil brick, characterized in that: The lunar soil brick is prepared by the preparation method described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The lunar soil brick according to claim 9, characterized in that: The compressive strength of the lunar soil brick is 5 to 7 MPa.

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