The Potential Use of Chemical Admixtures in Concrete Used in Extraterrestrial Applications

In recent years there has been interest in conducting research on the use of concrete as a building material for extraterrestrial applications. The potential availability of concrete-making materials at remote locations like the moon also make concrete a practical choice from an economic point of view. This paper contains a review of some basic chemical admixture technology used to enhance performance of concrete made on earth today. Chemical admixture technology that is used to extend or accelerate setting characteristics, entrain air, reduce water content, increase cohesiveness and compressive strength, improve durability or provide secondary reinforcement of concrete will be presented. It is the potential adaptation of chemical admixture technologies to extraterrestrial concrete construction that may enhance the ease with which concrete could be used in these remote locations. The paper will provide examples of hypothetical concrete construction applications where chemical admixture technology may provide a benefit to extraterrestrial concrete construction. This paper assumes that portland cement and water will be the binder of the aggregate materials used in making concrete.