Print Email Facebook Twitter Additive Manufacturing and Spark Plasma Sintering of Lunar Regolith for Functionally Graded Materials Title Additive Manufacturing and Spark Plasma Sintering of Lunar Regolith for Functionally Graded Materials Author Laot, M.A.L. (Student TU Delft) Rich, Belinda (European Space Agency (ESA)) Cheibas, Ina (European Space Agency (ESA)) Fu, J. (TU Delft Team Marcel Hermans) Zhu, Jia-Ning (TU Delft Team Vera Popovich) Popovich, V. (TU Delft Team Vera Popovich) Date 2021 Abstract This study investigates the feasibility of in-situ manufacturing of a functionally graded metallic-regolith. To fabricate the gradient, digital light processing, an additive manufacturing technique, and spark plasma sintering were selected due to their compatibility with metallic-ceramic processing in a space environment. The chosen methods were first assessed for their ability to effectively consolidate regolith alone, before progressing to sintering regolith directly onto metallic substrates. Optimized processing conditions based on the sintering temperature, initial powder particle size, and different compositions of the lunar regolith powders were identified. Experiments have successfully proven the consolidation of lunar regolith simulants at 1050°C under 80 MPa with digital light processing and spark plasma sintering, while the metallic powders can be fully densified at relatively low temperatures and a pressure of 50 MPa with spark plasma sintering. Furthermore, the lunar regolith and Ti 6 Al 4 V gradient was proven to be the most promising combination. While the current study showed that it is feasible to manufacture a functionally graded metallic-regolith, further developments of a fully optimized method have the potential to produce tailored, high-performance materials in an off-earth manufacturing setting for the production of aerospace, robotic, or architectural components. Subject in-situ resource utilisationregolithadditive manufacturingdigital light processingspark plasma sinteringdirect laser deposition To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e3ca52bc-47ee-4176-bb30-b7538dec9e53 DOI https://doi.org/10.7480/spool.2021.2.5258 ISSN 2215-0897 Source Spool. Journal of Architecture and the Built Environment, 8 (2 #4), 7-29 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2021 M.A.L. Laot, Belinda Rich, Ina Cheibas, J. Fu, Jia-Ning Zhu, V. Popovich Files PDF 5258_Article_Text_19287_2 ... 210919.pdf 4.02 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:e3ca52bc-47ee-4176-bb30-b7538dec9e53/datastream/OBJ/view