starship-design: Re: Proposition from Ukraine

[KellySt@aol.com]

Hi,
I'm not sure how you want to cooperate.  The group doesn't actively sponcer 
research.  Actually we're not very active the last couple years.

Your idea of researching how to form structures out of lunar soil and 
materials is a good one.  McDonnell Douglas and a large Japanese civil 
engineering firm made some good progress on developing ways to cast concrete 
out of lunar soil in hard vacuum.  Supposedly they could get better 
structural properties then the best earth based concretes of the day.

Anyway I will CC the group on this response so they can add their comments 
back to you.

Good luck!

Kelly Starks







In a message dated 2/19/00 3:17:27 AM, apply@public.ua.net writes:

>Hi  !
>
>I am, Oleg V. Anokhin, Dr. of Chemistry from Ukraine.
>
>After re-election of President My Motherland continue move to a World
>Community.
>I with My friends open site and start work for realize our self in a World
>Market Place.
>What do You think about such our possibilities for cooperation?
>We know that My Ukraine have some interesting cooperation for launch some
>system.
>Now, when Ukraine have a good relationships in all kind of life, our
>knowledge will help
>us to cooperation.
>
>Now about our possibility:
>
>OBTAINING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS BASED ON LUNAR SOIL WITH THE USE OF
>REGULARITIES OF A ALKALINE BINDING SYSTEMS.
>
>The assimilation of deep space is connected to the development of new
>process engineering's of obtaining of binding materials and building
>aggregates on their basis.
>The purpose of the present paper is to explore the possibility of using
>lunar soil to from cements for lunar construction.
>The establishment of a permanently manned lunar base requires construction
>materials which can withstand the lunar environment and can be obtained
>from
>locally available lunar materials.
>New processing techniques must be developed for the low gravity environment,
>and durability of the product becomes a more important consideration than
>strength from locally available materials.
>New processing techniques must be developed for the low gravity environment,
>and durability of the product becomes a more important consideration than
>strength, since the material will be subjected to widely varying thermal
>extremes and constant exposure to solar radiation.
>Hays and Walker (1975) have inferred that the lunar dust consist of cumulus
>plagioclase with entrapped olivine, low-calcium pyroxene, and magnesium
>and
>aluminum-rich spinal. Since these igneous minerals are extremely durable
>and
>the evidence suggests that the regolith is derived from weathering of the
>underlying crust, it can be inferred that, unless underground construction
>is elected,  lunar building materials will be subjected to more rigorous
>conditions than any on earth.
>The lunar crust, estimated to be thick (Toksoz..., 1974) is covered by
>continuous layer of mineral debris, or soil, called regolith.
>The main constituents of lunar regolith are the same oxides found in
>Portland cement and blast-furnace slag, but in different proportions. The
>average chemical composition of the fine-grained regolith at various is
>given in Table 1 (from Taylar, 1982).
>Table 1 - Chemical constitution of lunar soil:....
>There is a significant amount of glassy material due mostly to melting
>during meteorite impact. Most of this material exists in the form of
>agglutinates-glass-bonded aggregates of glassy, rock and mineral fragment,
>formed by during micrometeorite impact.
>Taking into account mineral and the chemical similarity of lunar grounds
>and
>aluminosilicate components (blast furnace slag's) alkaline binding systems
>is possible to per forward the supposition about expediency use of known
>principles of a construction alkaline binding systems for obtaining binding
>substances and building materials on the basis of lunar grounds.
>Alkaline binding materials were suggested by our group now
>this work continue in Our Group.
>The concrete were called "soil silicate concrete's", and the binders "soil
>cement". The soil cements are obtained by mixing well-ground mountain rock
>with industrial wastes dissolved in caustic alkalis and salt of sodium
>and
>potassium. They are modeling the formation of natural zeolites of the type
>R2O'RO'R2O3'(2-4)SiO2 x nH2O. The synthesizing of these materials,i.e.
>their
>solidifying in the earth's crust, like zeolites, mica, hydrous mica, which
>at high temperatures crystallize to nepheline and feldspars. The synthetic
>process is similar to the natural processes of mineral and rock formation.
>the idea of using such minerals in binding systems is associated with the
>fact that the earth'crust is mainly composed of the rock-forming minerals
>based on calcium-sodium-potassium-aluminosilicates, with remarkable
>properties, above all high resistance to atmospheric agents. It is assumed
>that compounds of a similar nature can be synthesized in the same conditions
>as the present binders of hydrated solidification solidify and harden.
>Studies have shown that soluble compounds of alkaline metals (caustic
>alkali, non-silicate, silicates and aluminates) in conjunction with
>aluminosilicate systems, in which calcium is absent (certain slags and
>ashes, burnt rock and clay), and with calcium binding systems (lime,
>Portland and alumina cements, blast furnace slag's and high-content calcium
>ashes and slag's) from hydraulic binding systems called soil cements, which
>solidify and harden in water,under ordinary and natural conditions, by
>steam
>treatment and in autoclave.
>  The compressive strength of slag-alkaline binders is in the range of
>40 to
>120 Mpa, those of high strength reaching 150 Mps. The slag-alkaline binders
>have great heat resistance and resistance to aggressive weather conditions,
>low shrinkage, heat loss and contraction.
>  Their products of hydration are low-basic hydrous calcium silicate,
>calcite, silica, a blend of alkali-alkaline soil hydrous silicates, and
>aliminosilicates and hydrous alumina-silica of type tompsonite, hydrous
>hepheline, analcime, muscovite and others.
>  Rapid-hardening slag-alkaline concrete's are known for their intensity
>in
>attaining strength: in one day
>30 Mpa, at a specific surface of 450 to 500 m2/kg up to 60 to 70 Mpa, in
>two
>days 40 to 50 Mpa, in three days 50 to 60 Mpa, and in 28 days 70 to 150
>Mpa.
>  For period of development of the scientific bases (fundamentals) of a
>construction of alkaline binders systems since 1957. More 1000 scientific
>activities are published switching on 14 monographs, more than 350
>ampere-second is obtained. USSR and 10 international patents, is developed
>a
>full package (packet) of the normative - engineering specifications and
>is
>conducted 3 national and 2 international conferences on a problem of
>development alkaline binders and concrete.
>
>  The interesting information on all affected problems can be received
>to
>the address of Apply & Science Inc.
>At the same time we propose to see our big SITE - WWW.APPLY.COM.UA part
>Mineral Industrial Materials in
>division of finishing projects.
>
>
>Best regards!
>Dr. Oleg V. Anokhin
>Department of Chemistry
>of Hi-Technology Materials,
>Executive Director.
>http://www.apply.com.ua
>E-Mail: oleg@sovereign.kiev.ua
>01001, Ukraine, Kiev. B#337