Showing papers by "Evgeny Shafirovich published in 2011"

Combustible Mixtures of Lunar Regolith with Metals: Thermodynamic Analysis and Combustion Experiments

Abstract: Construction materials could be produced in situ on the surface of the moon or Mars by combustion of regolith mixed with metals such as aluminum and magnesium. In the present paper, the adiabatic flame temperature and combustion products were calculated for the mixtures of JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant with aluminum and magnesium, aswell aswith a titanium/boron pair. It was shown that at the additive concentrations of 20–30wt%, the reaction between titanium and boron provides a lower adiabatic flame temperature of themixture as compared with the thermite-type reaction between regolith and aluminum or magnesium. Also, magnesium exhibits higher temperatures as compared with aluminum. Themaximum temperatures for aluminum andmagnesium are reached at 23 and 26wt%, respectively. Combustion ofmagnesium/JSC-1Amixture pellets was studied experimentally in an argon environment. To facilitate ignition and achieve stable combustion, the original JSC-1A powder was ground in aballmill. It was shown that, with increasing themilling time of JSC-1A, the combustion front velocity ofMg/JSC-1A mixture increases. A decrease in argon pressure from 90 to 10 kPa does not influence the front velocity.

Combustible Mixtures of Lunar Regolith with Aluminum and Magnesium: Thermodynamic Analysis and Combustion Experiments

Abstract: Construction materials could be produced in situ on the surface of the Moon or Mars by combustion of regolith mixed with metals such as aluminum and magnesium. In the present paper, the adiabatic flame temperature and combustion products were calculated for the mixtures of JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant with Al and Mg, as well as with Ti/B pair. Combustion of JSC-1A with Mg in argon environment was studied experimentally. To facilitate ignition and achieve stable combustion, the original JSC-1A powder was ground in a ball mill. The velocity of the combustion front propagation in Mg/JSC-1A mixture pellets at argon pressures of 10 kPa and 90 kPa was measured for different milling times of JSC1A.