Study on Lunar Cement Production Using Hokkaido Anorthite and Hokkaido Space Development Activities

This paper presents general information regarding lunar materials and Hokkaido anorthite and the basic concept of lunar cement formulation. Hokkaido anorthite consists of 16 wt.% of calcium oxide and is considered a candidate material for the proposed lunar cement production study. An electric furnace capable of generating heat up to 1600 C was used to conduct several bench burns using Hokkaido anorthite as simulant. The sintering temperature and duration were 1450 C and one hour, respectively. Two types of lunar cements with fineness ranging from 2670 to 5000 Blaine were made. The conventional wet mix procedure and the Dry-Mix/Steam-Injection (DMSI) method developed by T.D. Lin were applied to make a series of 4 cm mortar cubes for compression tests. The wet-mix cubes developed 2.9 N/mm² after 7 days of curing in a moist room while the DMSI cubes developed 21.9 N/mm² after 24 hours of steaming at 170 C. Scanning Electronic Microscopic analyses and X-Ray Diffraction analyses were performed to determine the morphology and chemical compositions of the obtained hydrates. This paper also discusses Japan's current interest and initiatives in the space technology development. This project was carried out with a support from Hokkaido Space Technology Consultative Association. It is hoped that the results of this test program will be a contribution to the international community on lunar concrete and space development.