A Study of the Properties of Samples from a Lunar Regolith Simulant Produced by Selective Laser Melting

The article presents the results of an experimental study of the strength properties of samples obtained by laser melting from powder compositions of a lunar regolith simulant based on gabbro-diabase. The powder compositions have been obtained by sieving with a fraction range of 50–100 and 100–140 μm from a simulant with a grain-size distribution similar to that of natural regolith. Their properties have been studied on experimental samples with characteristic dimensions of 7.5 × 5 × 6 mm³: apparent density, hardness, and compressive strength in different melting modes. Dependences of these properties on the energy density were obtained in the range from 12 to 25 J/mm³. The measured Vickers hardness of samples fused from a composition of 50–100 μm had a range of 691–830 HV, and samples from a composition of 100–140 μm had a wider range: 330–830 HV. The maximum values of compressive strength for samples from both compositions reached 17–20 MPa with median values of 12 and 17 MPa for the first and second compositions, respectively. These values are quite consistent with those that could be obtained by the process of in situ resource utilization.