Flextegrity is a broad structural concept, represented here by a chain of perforated massive segments in dry contact, coupled by a passing-through pre-tensioned tie-rod (tendon). Contact surfaces realize pure rolling along tailor-designed pitch lines, so that the relative rotation of adjacent segments determines the tendon elongation: the bending constitutive law can be optimized simply by re-shaping the contact surfaces. Flextegrity arches are placed side by side to form a vault, pressurized via an interposed air-tight membrane. The arch follows an almost complete circle (the vault approaches a tube), to minimize the actions on the foundations from internal pressure. The structure also supports a thick radiation shield above, made up of loose Lunar debris. The main characteristic is that the massive segments can be made from cast Lunar regolith, fused into solar-powered devices, whose weight is mitigated by the reduced Lunar gravity. Huge savings on mission budget are expected, because the only components from Earth are the tendons, made of high-performance lightweight carbon nanotube fibers, and the air-tight membrane. Small-scale prototypes are manufactured from cast concrete. The structural response is analyzed through a theoretical model. The concept is applied to a Moon base example, verifying compatibility with the strength of Lunar regolith under various actions, including meteoroid impact.

Flextegrity arched structures for Lunar bases built from indigenous materials / Boni, Claudio; Royer-Carfagni, Gianni. - In: ACTA ASTRONAUTICA. - ISSN 0094-5765. - 215:(2024), pp. 107-116. [10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.11.046]

Flextegrity arched structures for Lunar bases built from indigenous materials

Boni, Claudio;Royer-Carfagni, Gianni
2024-01-01

Abstract

Flextegrity is a broad structural concept, represented here by a chain of perforated massive segments in dry contact, coupled by a passing-through pre-tensioned tie-rod (tendon). Contact surfaces realize pure rolling along tailor-designed pitch lines, so that the relative rotation of adjacent segments determines the tendon elongation: the bending constitutive law can be optimized simply by re-shaping the contact surfaces. Flextegrity arches are placed side by side to form a vault, pressurized via an interposed air-tight membrane. The arch follows an almost complete circle (the vault approaches a tube), to minimize the actions on the foundations from internal pressure. The structure also supports a thick radiation shield above, made up of loose Lunar debris. The main characteristic is that the massive segments can be made from cast Lunar regolith, fused into solar-powered devices, whose weight is mitigated by the reduced Lunar gravity. Huge savings on mission budget are expected, because the only components from Earth are the tendons, made of high-performance lightweight carbon nanotube fibers, and the air-tight membrane. Small-scale prototypes are manufactured from cast concrete. The structural response is analyzed through a theoretical model. The concept is applied to a Moon base example, verifying compatibility with the strength of Lunar regolith under various actions, including meteoroid impact.
2024
Flextegrity arched structures for Lunar bases built from indigenous materials / Boni, Claudio; Royer-Carfagni, Gianni. - In: ACTA ASTRONAUTICA. - ISSN 0094-5765. - 215:(2024), pp. 107-116. [10.1016/j.actaastro.2023.11.046]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2982093
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