Research Article
Nov 1973
Behavior of Returned Lunar Soil in Vacuum
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VIEW THE REPLYAuthors: W. David Carrier III, M.ASCE, Leslie G. Bromwell, M.ASCE, and R. Torrence MartinAuthor Affiliations
Publication: Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division
Volume 99, Issue 11
Abstract
Two oedometer and three direct shear tests have been performed in vacuum on a 200-g sample of lunar soil from Apollo 12 (Sample No. 12001, 119). It had been expected that the vacuum environment and clean particle surfaces would cause the lunar soil to have a lower compressibility and a higher shear strength than that of a ground basalt simulant in air. Instead, it is found that the opposite is true; the comrpessibility of the lunar soil is slightly greater and the shear strength is significantly less. This difference is tentatively attributed to the degradation under stress of fragile lunar soil particles such as agglutinates and breccias. Over the range of densities tested, the typical virgin compression index is 0.06 and the friction angle varies from 28 to 35°. Large-scale particle crushing occurs at normal stresses of less than 70 kN/m² (10 psi), and consequently, the Mohr-Coulomb strength envelope should be extremely curved. The shear strength of the other lunar soils at the same void ratio will probably vary according to the proportion of friable particles.
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Published In
Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division
Volume 99 • Issue 11 • November 1973
Pages: 979 - 996
Copyright
© 1973 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published in print: Nov 1973
Published online: Feb 12, 2021
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W. David Carrier III, M.ASCE
Staff Sci., Planetary and Earth Sci. Div., Johnson Space Center, NASA, Houston, Tex.
Leslie G. Bromwell, M.ASCE
Consulting Engr., Lakeland, Fla.; formerly Asst. Prof., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, Mass.
R. Torrence Martin
Sr. Research Assoc., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, Mass.
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