Building on Mars

Experimental research on efficient and sustainable production process and construction method

Master thesis (2019)

Authors

A.S. Mintus Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

F.A. Veer Structural Design & Mechanics - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
Oguzhan Copuroglu Materials and Environment - CEG (supervisor 1)
David Peck Climate Design and Sustainability - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2019 Agata Mintus
Sustainability Mars Building Efficiency Fabrication ISRU Regolith
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Published Date

05-07-2019

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

The research is focused on investigating regolith as a building material, while implementing the sustainable approach in terms of energy efficiency and material usage, during production process and construction. The context is located within the first manned missions to Mars, and the requirements, towards testing methods allowing for independence from Earth, are implemented.
The studied production process is using compression and thermal treatment as the main processes.The main final product of the research is a novel approach towards the fabrication of martian regolith. The composition of the material is changed in different ways in order to minimize the energy input and required payload for the production process. The compositions with an additional amount of minerals with lower melting point (plagioclase, ferric sulfate), the ones with smaller particle size distribution (amorphous phase elements) or with additional sulfur powder (which could be brought from Earth or extracted in situ in the future) were studied with mechanical tests and microscopic analysis.
The research proved that the change in composition can have a significant impact on the building material characteristics and could be used to optimize the production process. The compressive strength of the produced specimens was ranging between 0,45 – 4,00 MPa.
The structure built in situ was assumed to be external shell structure protecting inflatable, light habitable modules. The outer shell was analysed in terms of resistance towards wind load, gravity and micrometeorites impacts. The construction method and structure type proposed according to the results from experimental research on the material was based on adobe buildings on Earth. The compressive-only structures built with an interlocking system, which protect the crew against wind, radiation and micrometeorites impacts, were studied and designed.