Department of Civil Engineering

CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY– 18CV34

III SEMESTER, BE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
2020

ASSIGNMENT PHASE 1

Name ROHAN SHESHADRI

USN 1RV19CV076

Section

Faculty In-charge DHANUSH S

Topic Martian Concrete

Date of Submission of Report 10/11/2020

Certificate
This is to certify that Mr Rohan Sheshadri of III Semester, BE, Civil Engineering,
has successfully completed the assignment prescribed by the institution in the
course Concrete Technology-18CV34, for the academic year 2020-2021.

Maximum Marks Marks Obtained

Signature of the Student Signature of the Course

Coordinator
 MARTIAN CONCRETE
Abstract:
The developed Martian Concrete is highly feasible for construction on Mars. The optimal
Martian Concrete mix consists of 50% sulfur and 50% regolith. The Martian Concrete is
mechanically simulated by a discrete particle model. The Martian Concrete has compressive
strength of above 50 MPa. Concrete structures would preferably be buried under a 7–10 m layer
of Martian regolith in order to counter-balance aerostatic loads and to protect against the hazards
of cosmic and solar radiation, wide temperature swings, and deliquescent salts. In addition to the
raw material availability for producing sulfur concrete and a strength reaching similar or higher
levels of conventional cementitious concrete, fast curing, low temperature sustainability, acid
and salt environment resistance, 100% recyclability are appealing superior characteristics of the
developed Martian Concrete.
The test results show that the strength of Martian Concrete doubles that of sulfur concrete
utilizing regular sand.

Introduction
When elemental sulfur and aggregate are hot-mixed, cast, and cooled to prepare sulfur concrete
products, the sulfur binder, on cooling from the liquid state, first crystallizes as monoclinic sulfur
at 114 °C.

On further cooling to below 96 °C starts to transform to orthorhombic sulfur, which is the stable
form of sulfur at ambient room temperatures.

For earth applications, well developed sulfur concrete features

(1) Improved mechanical performance: high compressive and flexural strength, high durability,
acid and salt water resistant, excellent surface finish and pigmentation, superior freeze/thaw
performance.
(2) Cost benefits: faster setting-solid within hours instead of weeks, increased tolerance to
aggregate choice.
(3) Environmentally friendly profile: reduced carbon dioxide footprint, no water requirements,
easily obtainable sulfur as a byproduct of gasoline production, recyclability via re-casting,
compatibility with ecosystem.
Studies of Martian meteorites suggest elevated sulfur concentrations in the interior, and Martian
surface deposits contain high levels of sulfur ,Except of the easiest option of finding a sulfur
mine on Mars, like the one in Sicily on Earth, elemental sulfur can be extracted from sulfides or
sulfates through various chemical and physical processes, for example, by heating up the sulfur
compounds.
Furthermore, with the temperature on Mars lower than 35 °C, the drawback of sulfur concrete

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melting at high temperature will not be an issue for initial constructions such as shelters and
roads while certainly might be of concern for long term settlements in which fire resistance
would be important.

Potential binders for construction on Mars:

Concrete is defined as a combination of a binder and an aggregate(filler). Let us consider all the
salient features on possible types of binders in the below considered Table 1.
Binder Raw materials Availability Advantages Disadvantages
Plaster of • Gypsum Common; 1. Low energy
Paris(pop) • Water Found as 2. Fast set and
ice; hardens quickly
3. Fits with available
resources

Ordinary • Limestone Rare or 1. High Terrestrial High

Portland • Clay/shale scarce; application energy
cement(OPC) Abundantly 2. Hardens in less Resource.
• Water available; amount of time.
Found as Rare
ice; resources
are
required.

Geopolymer • Clay Rare; 1. Low moderate More time is

Cement(GS) • Water Found as energy required to set or
• Amorphous ice; to harden
silica Extracted 2. Workable with
• Alkali from the existing
catalyst
surface; resources
Artificial
synthesis;

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 Elemental • Ferric Abundantly 1. No water is High energy.
sulphur (ES) sulfate or present required apart
other from synthesis of Waste production
source of is more.
h2
Sulphur
2. Faster setting
Need extreme
skilled labor

Water • Water Found in 1. Good Subjected to

frozen state workability melting or
2. Very low sublimation
energy
3. Can hold
desirables
aggregates
4. Fast setting

Table1: Key properties of the potential binders for construction on Mars.

Water as a suitable binder for Martian concrete.

Ice concrete would be potentially vulnerable to sublimation directly from ice to vapour
at any interface with the atmosphere, and may therefore need to be coated or
covered. Ice concrete could easily be repaired or recycled by heating and re-
freezing. Due to its low viscosity compared to pastes made from the other binders, water
would be highly workable, In the extremely cold conditions of the Martian surface, it is
possible to use water as a binder by casting it in liquid form into a set of molds (with or
without aggregate) and allowing it to freeze into ice concrete. Compared to other
binders, the use of water would be simple and very low -energy, and the hardening
process would be rapid (minutes to hours). Internal elements and material would only
be suitable for elements expected to be permanently frozen and preferably for those
elements whose temperature will never exceed −22 °C (below this temperature, water
remains frozen regardless of pressure, it would not be suitable for ice concrete, as they
could not feasibly be prevented from thawing. The external walls, floors, and roofs of
climate-controlled structures would require robust insulation on their internal faces in
order to prevent thawing. Elements constructed in an environment that periodically
experiences above-freezing temperatures, could be prevented from thawing by the
addition of thermal mass, such as by mounding regolith over the structure.

Water for concrete would be produced from ice or by condensation out of the atmosphere,
and local aggregates could be used in a similar manner to those on Earth, Plaster of Paris or
water (which would bind by freezing) would be the most appropriate binders.

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 Aggregates on Mars:
Martian regolith (Fig1. Martian regolith is found in a variety of sizes). In Martian
applications, aggregates with non-negligible salt content should ideally be
avoided. However, the regolith presents new challenges in terms of potential
reactivity between aggregates and binder. These binder-aggregate combinations
should be approached with caution, because the reaction of aggregates can
compromise the interface with the binding phase and furthermore can cause massive
internal volumetric changes and stresses. If salt-free aggregates cannot be readily
found or produced, then the effects of salts on the hydration of binders should be
tested prior to on-site construction. In the chemical environment of OPC and similar
binders (e.g. GC, and ES ), aggregates containing pyrite, clays, or glassy silica are
potentially reactive on the time scale of months to years. It has been observed that
reaction between ES and Martian regolith simulant, which appeared to consist of the
formation of sulfates and polysulfides. Salts in the regolith may affect the reactivity
of binders (i.e by accelerating or retarding setting and hardening). (Fig2. would
presumably be used as a natural aggregate. Depending on the application and
circumstances, such effects may be desirable or undesirable. The mechanical
properties of regolith are known to be suitable for aggregate, and a simulant of it has
been successfully used on Earth for the manufacture of concrete using MSBB and ES.
In terrestrial applications (i.e., predominantly OPC as binder) the effects of sa lts on
hydration is usually tested on a case-by-case basis, or estimated based on experience
with the particular materials at hand, because the complicated chemistry of fresh
concrete makes these difficult to predict in advance.

Figure1 Martian regolith in varying sizes Figure 2 Natural aggregate

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Materials and methods:
As we have seen different construction material among all sulphur concrete is found to be excellent
for construction on mars so we have to understand its material and method. Method for
manufacturing sulphur concrete is based on hot mixing of sulphur and aggregate in which all of
the blended components are heated till a 140 degree Celsius to 150 degree Celsius the sulphur used
within sulphur concrete can be combined with any form of tradition aggregate, the researcher
predicted that most excellent amount for sulphur motor is about 30% of the bond while for the
sulphur concrete is ready 15% of the bond. The sulphur matrix with the percentage of mineral
extender is 5% for mortar and 10% for concrete. System of Sulphur concrete production is
primarily based on sulphur properties of changing its viscosity with the change of temperature by
119 to 122degree Celsius sulphur completely turns solid into liquid it consists some following
steps:
1) Heating sulphur until 150 degree Celsius.
2) After melting of modified Sulphur mix the components.
3) After molding the sample into the metal molds.
4) Cooling the sample.

Mixing and Casting:

The low Martian gravity ( about 0.38G) may make the casting and consolidation of
concrete more difficult. Accordingly, concrete made using these binders will have to
be mixed, transported, cast, and compacted in either a pressure -controlled or sealed
environment. On the other hand, cohesiveness may be improved, as the strong gravity
of Earth causes fresh concrete to segregate via the settlement of large aggregates and
the bleeding of water and fine particles. Molten ES would be thermodynamically
stable in ambient pressure, and therefore could be produced without environmental
containment or pressurization. Due to the temperature and pressure conditions of the
Martian surface, fresh concrete made with water (i.e. using Plaster of Paris, OPC,
AAC, GC, MSBB, or water as binder) would boil until freezing if directly exposed to
the atmosphere.

Curing on Mars:
Fundamentally, curing requires one of two approaches: water curing (i.e., exposing
concrete surfaces to wet or humid conditions, such as by ponding or irrigation), or
sealed curing (i.e., preventing the loss of mix water by sealing the surfaces with
moisture barriers). Water curing would not be practical in the thin Martian
atmosphere, so that barriers will be crucial to maintain the moisture of elements
until curing is substantially complete. In the case of Pop, whose hydration is quick

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and exothermic, cold temperatures would not be a significant obstacle. Spirit and
Opportunity experienced temperatures generally in the range of −80 °C -20 °C each
sol (Martian day). Ensuring the presence of liquid water for an extended period of
time in the cold, dry Martian conditions would place significant technical
complications on concrete work. The low temperatures would be advantageous for concrete
made using ES or water as binder, as these harden by cooling. The
temperature of the Martian surface averages −63 °C but varies with time and
location. This is not an issue, as long as the element is given sufficient time and
adequate conditions for a satisfactory degree of hydration. Still, moisture in
external concrete elements would not and could not be indefinitely
maintained. Existing technologies for casting in cold climates include the pre -
heating of concrete components, insulation, supplementary heating, and the use of set-
accelerating admixtures and these technologies would be viable on
Mars. However, for OPC, GC, and MSBB hardening requires weeks or months, during which
the material must be maintained in a humid condition and terrestrial room temperature.

Temperature variance:
This approach would also provide a great thermal inertia, which would moderate the
effects of temperature fluctuations, generally-cold and highly-variant temperature
conditions of Mars have been noted. On Earth, common approaches to reducing the
thermal conductivity of concrete is the use of highly porous aggregates or the
entrainment of air. One approach to insulation could be by the mounding of native
regolith or by light construction, which has already been suggested above for other
reasons and is true. Therefore, insulation of structures by modifying the properties of
the concrete itself would not be a viable approach, and one or more distinct insulation
layers should be provided. Concrete is a highly thermally-conductive material (with
a thermal conductivity on the order of 1–2 W/mK if conventional concrete is used,
and is potentially sensitive to freeze-thaw cycling, which occurs almost daily in the
near-equatorial regions. Supposing the thermal conductivity of Martian regolith is
comparable to that of terrestrial sand (on the order of 0.15 –0.27 W/mK, regolith as
an insulator would be more efficient than concrete by approximately an order of
magnitude of one. Natural (pumice) or artificial (e.g., polystyrene foam or expanded
perlite) aggregates that are used for this purpose do not appear to be compatible with
the raw materials and energy resources available on Mars, and the entrainment of air
would not be a feasible approach due to the low atmospheric pressure.

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Load bearing and Structural integrity of Martian concrete:

• Static load: -
Structures must bear static loads, which are primarily gravitational in nature
(e.g., structure self-weight, weight of furniture/equipment, loads from dust/ice
deposited during weather events). Due to the weak Martian gravity,
comparable objects would exert a load 62% smaller than on Earth. Such a
savings in the number and/or size of elements would further reduce structural
self-weight. Thus, structures would need to be able to handle substantial
flexural loads, or alternatively this pressure differential could be co unter-
balanced by underground construction or mounding of regolith over structures
( Unlike Earth, any structure that is designed for human occupation on Mars
will be stressed by an aerostatic pressure differential on the order of 1 atm
between the pressurized interior and the thin surrounding atmosphere. The
thickness that has been proposed for such a pressure-balancing layer has varied
on the range of two to eleven meters depending on assumptions related to
pressurization and the degree of regolith compaction. 1). This could open
possibilities for using weaker concrete mixes than are normally used on Earth
(e.g., using ES, or water as binders, which tend to be weaker than comparable
OPC-based formulations), for constructing smaller elements, and/or fo r using
fewer elements in a comparable structure.

• Transient load: -
Wind and seismic loads are likely on Mars and could be accommodated using much lighter
and weaker construction than is used on Earth. Similarly, transient gravitational loads (e.g.,
weight of occupants and mobile equipment) would be lesser than Earth. A different type
of transient load that has been called for construction on Mars has been major impact (fig3)
given that the thin Martian atmosphere is much less effective than Earth's at burning up
micrometeorites. Let us therefore consider the likelihood and consequences of major
impact.

Fig 3 J. Frequency band for impact of

micrometeorites by size Geophys. Res.: Solid
Earth, 95 (1990), pp. 14497-14509

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 Durability:

Since water in the pores of Martian concrete would be expected to completely evaporate
or freeze the durability of concrete to all of these weathering
mechanisms would be functionally indefinite. However, carbonation and other
mass transfer phenomena require the presence of some liquid
porewater, which is typical in terrestrial concrete. Freeze-thaw cycling,
though it is not a mass-transfer phenomenon, is likewise only damaging if
liquid porewater is present. Most of these or comparable phenomena could
affect concrete made using plaster of Paris, ES, or water as
binder. Specifically, the weathering mechanism of carbonation has been
advised to be particularly important on the red planet as the partial pressure
of carbon dioxide present is about five times greater than on Earth. On Earth,
the predominating weathering mechanisms for concrete made using OPC or
comparable materials (GC) consist of reactive mass transfer phenomena,
notably oxidation of the steel reinforcement, chloride attack, carbonation,
sulfate attack, acid attack, leaching, and alkali-aggregate reactions are
subjected.

If a grain of sand is carried (such as by the wind) onto the face of a concrete
element, the brine produced by its deliquescence. In the case of ice concrete,
such salts could cause melting due to freezing point depression. The afore-
proposed underground construction or mounding with native regolith may
help to protect concrete from the weathering effects of deliquescence. These
brines are sometimes inherently reactive with one or more components of the
concrete, and may generate damaging chemical reactions such as sulfate
attack. Therefore, some concrete surfaces will inevitably be exposed to the
environment could be imbibed by the concrete's capillary pores. Unlike pure
water, these brines are thermodynamically stable as fluids on the Martian
surface, and could therefore facilitate reactive mass transfer phenomena
Additionally, cycles of deliquescence and frequent drying could lead to the
gradual accumulation of salts within the pore network, causing potentially
harmful internal volumetric changes and for these an impermeable and
chemically durable layer or paint is advised. These present an interesting durability
challenge for concrete. Highly deliquescent salts (i.e., salts which
tend to draw moisture from the atmosphere into a concentrated brine) such as
calcium perchlorate and magnesium sulfate are known to occur on the surface
of Mars.

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 Conclusion and Overview

The developed sulfur based Martian Concrete is feasible for construction on Mars for its
easy handling, fast curing, high strength, recyclability, and adaptability in dry and cold
environments. Sulfur is abundant on Martian surface and Martian regolith simulant is found
to have well graded particle size distribution to ensure high strength mix. Both the
atmospheric pressure and temperature range on Mars are adequate for hosting sulfur
concrete structures.
After reviewing and comparing the different construction material on mars it has been
found sulphur concrete is best among them. It is because of great sulphur content on
Martian surface. Thus, this material will economical as there will be no need of carrying
material from earth to mars, the only requirement will be of a laboratory on mars were
sulphur from Martian regolith and soil can be extracted. The sulphur concrete will also be
an excellent construction material because of its properties of easy coping, fast curing,
recyclability and adaptability in dry and cold environment.

Mars colonization represents an exciting combination of challenges and opportunities for

the development of construction materials. As more information is discovered by
exploration of the planet, solutions and ideas can be better found for design of materials
and methods. Concrete as we have known it on Earth would not be viable there. However,
if concrete is appropriately adapted to meet the different demands of the Martian
environment, it would appear to be an outstanding choice of material for construction on
the Red Planet.

Reference and Citations:

• T. Lin, S. BhattacharjaLunar and Martian resources utilization: cement

Space, 98 (1998), pp. 592-600.

• T. Lin, S. Bhattacharja, L. Powers-

Couche, S. Skaar, T. Horiguchi, N. Saeki, D. Munaf, Y. Peng, I. CasanovaLunar and
Martian Resource Utilization: Cement and Concrete, Using in Situ Resources for
Construction of Planetary Outposts (1998), p. 12.

• Guide For Mixing And Placing Sulfur Concrete In Construction, Report Byaci Commitee
548.
• Centre for Sustainable Engineering of Geological and Infrastructure Materials (SEGIM)
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering
and Applied Science, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.

• J. Mustard, M. Adler, A. Allwood, D. Bass, D. Beaty, J. Bell, W. Brinckerhoff, M. Carr,

D. Des Marais, B. Brake Report of the Mars 2020 Science Definition Team

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (2013).

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