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New research from Washington State University shows Martian dust could help create a strong and easily available alloy for astronauts, or create a solid material in the event of an emergency.
New research from Washington State University shows Martian dust could help create a strong and easily available alloy for astronauts, or create a solid material in the event of an emergency.
PULLMAN, Wash. – New research from Washington State University (WSU) shows a little Martian dust appears to go a long way. A small amount of simulated crushed Martian rock mixed with a titanium alloy made a stronger material for a 3D-printing process that one day could be used on Mars to make tools or rocket parts.
WSU researchers made the parts with as little as 5% and up to 100% "Maritan regolith", a black powdery substance that mimics the rocky material found on Mars.
The researches found that parts made with 5% regolith were strong, while 100% regolith parts were brittle.
Still, even high-Martian content materials would be useful in making coatings to protect equipment from rust or radiation damage, instances where cracks aren't a problem, said Amit Bandyopadhyay, corresponding author on the study published in the International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology.
“In space, 3D printing is something that has to happen if we want to think of a manned mission because we really cannot carry everything from here,” said Bandyopadhyay, a professor in WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. “And if we forgot something, we cannot come back to get it.”
Bringing materials into space can be extremely expensive. The authors noted it costs about $54,000 for the NASA space shuttle to put just one kilogram of payload (about 2.2 pounds) into Earth orbit. Anything that can be made in space, or on planet, would save weight and money - and give astronauts a way to repair equipment onsite.
Bandyopadhyay first demonstrated the feasibility of this idea in 2011 when his team used 3D-printing to manufacture parts from lunar regolith, simulated crushed moon rock, for NASA. Since then, space agencies have embraced the technology, and International Space Station has its own 3D-printers to manufacture needed materials on site and for experiments.
For this study, Bandopadhyay, along with graduate students Ali Afrouzian and Kellen Traxel, used a powder-based 3D printer to mix the simulated Martian rock dust with a titanium alloy. As part of the process, a high-powered laser heated the materials to over 3,632 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, the melted mix of Martian regolith-ceramic and metal material flowed onto a moving platform that allowed the researchers to create different sizes and shapes. After the material cooled down, the researchers tested it for strength and durability.
The mixture with 5% regolith, not only did not crack or bubble but also exhibited better properties than the titanium alloy alone, which meant it could be used to make lighter weight pieces that could still bear heavy loads.
“It gives you a better, higher strength and hardness material, so that can perform significantly better in some applications,” he said.
This study is just a start, Bandyopadhyay said, and more research could result in better composites using different metals or 3D-printing techniques.
“This establishes that it is possible, and maybe we should think in this direction because it's not just making plastic parts which are weak but metal-ceramic composite parts which are strong and can be used for any kind of structural parts,” he said.
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