Additive manufacturing development of construction materials for a lunar base via spark plasma sintering of volcanic rocks using in-situ resource utilization concept

This work presents an innovative approach for creating ceramic materials based on andesite-basalts for construction on the Moon. Employing the concept of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), the authors simulated the composition of lunar regolith using volcanic rocks from Kamchatka and Primorsky Krai (Russia, Far East). These rocks were ground into submicron powders and sintered via spark plasma sintering (SPS) at temperatures of 800, 900, and 1000 degrees C. The resulting ceramic samples demonstrate exceptional physicomechanical properties comparable to lunar regolith - compressive strength up to 566 MPa and Vickers hardness up to 650 HV. Optimal characteristics were achieved at a sintering temperature of 1000 degrees C with a heating rate of 300 degrees C/min. It was determined that the heating rate during sintering has a decisive influence on the density of the resulting ceramics. This research vividly demonstrates the potential of SPS technology and the ISRU concept for creating highstrength construction materials on the Moon using local lunar raw materials, paving the way for large-scale construction of lunar bases utilizing the Moon's own mineral resources.