Experimental study of terra-mechanics characters of simulant lunar soil

It is important to know the terra-mechanics characters of lunar soil for designing reasonable wheels and running gear of the lunar rover. The simulant lunar soil is prepared firstly, and it could be used for the basic test of the terra-mechanics on moon. The elastic modulus is 48.8 MPa from the triaxial tests by calculation. The hardness of simulant lunar soil is tested by penetrometer; and the results show that it is less than that of the black soil and close to that of the sand. Using the plate-sinkage-test to measure the vertical strength of lunar soil, the n (sinkage exponent) is 1.13, K (modulus of deformation) is 1 056 kN/m(n+2) by calculation; and the vertical strength of simulant lunar soil is increased with the increase of the n and K by analyzing. The horizontal shear strength can be measured by means of a shear-test, and k (shearing strength displacement modulus) is 1.2 cm by calculation. The k has little influence on the shear strength; but its peak will move backward; and the shear strength is increased with the increase of the internal friction angle and cohesion. The results can supply the reference to evaluate the traffic ability of the lunar rover.