Establishing a base on the Moon is one of the new goals of human lunar exploration in recent years. Sintered lunar regolith is one of the most potential building materials for lunar bases. The physical, mechanical and thermal properties of sintered lunar regolith are vital performance indices for the structural design of a lunar base and analysis of many critical mechanical and thermal issues. In this study, the HUST-1 lunar regolith simulant (HLRS) was sintered at 1030, 1040, 1050, 1060, 1070, and 1080 °C. The effect of sintering temperature on the compressive strength was investigated, and the exact value of the optimum vacuum sintering temperature was determined between 1040 and 1060 °C. Then, the microstructure and material composition of vacuum sintered HLRS at different temperatures were characterized. It was found that the sintering temperature has no significant effect on the mineral composition in the temperature range of 1030–1080 °C. Besides, the heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of vacuum sintered HLRS at different temperatures were investigated. Specific heat capacity of sintered samples increases with the increase of test temperature within the temperature range from −75 to 145 °C. Besides, the thermal conductivity of the sintered sample is proportional to density. Finally, the two temperatures of 1040 and 1050 °C were selected for a more detailed study of mechanical properties. The results showed that compressive strength of sintered sample is much higher than tensile strength. This study reveals the effects of sintering temperature on the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of vacuum sintered HLRS, and these material parameters will provide support for the construction of future lunar bases.

中文翻译：

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真空烧结 HUST-1 月球风化层模拟物的物理、机械和热学性能


在月球上建立基地是近年来人类月球探测的新目标之一。烧结月球风化层是月球基地最有潜力的建筑材料之一。烧结月球风化层的物理、机械和热性能是月球基地结构设计和许多关键机械和热问题分析的重要性能指标。在本研究中，HUST-1 月球风化层模拟物 （HLRS） 在 1030、1040、1050、1060、1070 和 1080 °C 下烧结。 研究了烧结温度对抗压强度的影响，并在 1040 至 1060 °C 之间确定了最佳真空烧结温度的确切值。 然后，对不同温度下真空烧结HLRS的微观组织和材料组成进行了表征。发现，在 1030-1080 °C 的温度范围内，烧结温度对矿物成分没有显着影响。 此外，还研究了真空烧结 HLRS 在不同温度下的热容、导热系数和热膨胀系数 （CTE）。在 -75 至 145 °C 的温度范围内，烧结样品的比热容随着测试温度的升高而增加。 此外，烧结样品的热导率与密度成正比。最后，选择了 1040 °C 和 1050 °C 这两个温度，对机械性能进行了更详细的研究。结果表明，烧结试样的抗压强度远高于抗拉强度。本研究揭示了烧结温度对真空烧结 HLRS 的物理、机械和热性能的影响，这些材料参数将为未来月球基地的建设提供支持。