An assembled and interlocking lunar base and its structural analysis

Abstract

Establishing a base on the lunar surface has become a new goal for space powers and even all humankind to explore the moon. However, the extreme environment and the lack of resources pose many challenges to the construction project. In this paper, an assembled and interlocking mixed structure was designed. The sintered lunar regolith can be used to build the load-bearing arch structure and the foundation structure, which are assembled by interlocking modules to facilitate construction on the lunar surface. An independent inflatable structure is needed inside the arch structure to ensure the air pressure environment suitable for human survival. The structure is covered with a 3m-thick lunar regolith layer to withstand large temperature fluctuations, intense radiation, and occasional micrometeorite impact. The main mechanical advantage of this structure is that each component is used to bear the load that it is best able to resist. The load-bearing arch structure and the foundation structure can be assembled and constructed with only 6 types of modules. Besides, the modules are self-supporting so that they can be assembled without support during construction. Subsequently, the finite element method was used to analyze the stress state after construction. The results showed that this lunar base structure is feasible, but the optimization design needs to be carried out at the module joint because it will produce stress concentration. This study provides a scheme for the construction of human lunar bases.