Brick - Revision history

Michel Lamontagne: /* Brick Structures */

2024-11-05T15:24:39Z

Brick Structures

Michel Lamontagne: /* Brick */

2024-11-05T15:23:13Z

Brick

Michel Lamontagne: /* Brick */

2024-11-05T15:22:59Z

Brick

Michel Lamontagne: /* Heating */

2024-11-05T15:21:59Z

Heating

Michel Lamontagne: /* Heating */

2024-11-05T15:21:17Z

Heating

Michel Lamontagne: /* Brick */

2024-11-05T15:20:14Z

Brick

Michel Lamontagne: /* Brick Structures */

2024-11-05T15:18:38Z

Brick Structures

Michel Lamontagne: /* Brick Structures */

2024-11-05T15:17:30Z

Brick Structures

Michel Lamontagne: /* Brick Structures */

2024-11-05T15:16:26Z

Brick Structures

Michel Lamontagne: /* Keep Brick Structures Under Compression */

2024-11-05T15:12:23Z

Keep Brick Structures Under Compression

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 Estimates of 6.5 meters of dirt above the structure would be safe.  (If the Mars base used 40 bar rather than 100 bar air pressure, this weight could be reduced.  Only 2.5 meters would be needed.)  See "The Case for Mars" page 191 for more discussion on this point.  Note that 6.5 meters of dirt above colony structures would provide excellent [[radiation]] protection.  Although the structure might resist the pressure, it would be subject to problems from humidity and freezing in the brick and mortar, unless a humidity control membrane, and perhaps insulation, was added.
-It is probably more effective to use brick only in the construction of radiation protection structure around independent pressure resistant airtight structures. The brick structures would then be only in compression. Bricks should be highly resistant to windblown erosion, and as there is no rain there will be no damage from water or freezing, the main enemies of brick on Earth.  Bricks could also be used for construction inside larger pressurized structures, as they are non combustible and can be used in the same ways as for traditional construction methods on Earth.  Using sulfur cement inside the habitats would negate their fireproofing characteristics, so is probably not a good idea.
+It is probably more effective to use brick only in the construction of radiation protection structures around independent pressure resistant airtight structures. The brick structures would then be only in compression. Bricks should be highly resistant to windblown erosion, and as there is no rain there will be no damage from water or freezing, the main enemies of brick on Earth.  Bricks could also be used for construction inside larger pressurized structures, as they are non combustible and can be used in the same ways as for traditional construction methods on Earth.  Using sulfur cement inside the habitats would negate their fireproofing characteristics, so is probably not a good idea.
 ==Brick Manufacturing==

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ==Material==
 ===Brick===
-A brick is basically a rectangular shaped structural elements that can be assembled into larger forms.  The brick can be made from [[regolith]], [[plastics]], [[fiberglass]] or composite materials. Regolith can be [[sintered regolith|sintered]] at high temperatures. A mixture of molten plastics and regolith powder can be produced at moderate temperatures.  Bricks can be made stronger by having fibrous material in them.  (e.g. ancient bricks were mixed with straw.)  This could be plant stalks, plastics, glass fibers, basalt fibers, etc.
+A brick is basically a rectangular shaped structural element that can be assembled into larger forms.  The brick can be made from [[regolith]], [[plastics]], [[fiberglass]] or composite materials. Regolith can be [[sintered regolith|sintered]] at high temperatures. A mixture of molten plastics and regolith powder can be produced at moderate temperatures.  Bricks can be made stronger by having fibrous material in them.  (e.g. ancient bricks were mixed with straw.)  This could be plant stalks, plastics, glass fibers, basalt fibers, etc.
 ===Mortar===

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ==Material==
 ===Brick===
-The brick can be made from [[regolith]], [[plastics]], [[fiberglass]] or composite materials. Regolith can be [[sintered regolith|sintered]] at high temperatures. A mixture of molten plastics and regolith powder can be produced at moderate temperatures.  Bricks can be made stronger by having fibrous material in them.  (e.g. ancient bricks were mixed with straw.)  This could be plant stalks, plastics, glass fibers, basalt fibers, etc.
+A brick is basically a rectangular shaped structural elements that can be assembled into larger forms.  The brick can be made from [[regolith]], [[plastics]], [[fiberglass]] or composite materials. Regolith can be [[sintered regolith|sintered]] at high temperatures. A mixture of molten plastics and regolith powder can be produced at moderate temperatures.  Bricks can be made stronger by having fibrous material in them.  (e.g. ancient bricks were mixed with straw.)  This could be plant stalks, plastics, glass fibers, basalt fibers, etc.
 ===Mortar===

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The process produces small round soil pallets that are about an inch tall and can then be cut into brick shapes. The engineers believe that the iron oxide, which gives Martian soil its signature reddish hue, acts as a binding agent. They investigated the simulant's structure with various scanning tools and found that the tiny iron particles coat the simulant's bigger rocky basalt particles. The iron particles have clean, flat facets that easily bind to one another under pressure."<ref>Brian J. Chow, Tzehan Chen, Ying Zhong, Yu Qiao., University of California - San Diego. (2017, April 27). Engineers investigate a simple, no-bake recipe to make bricks from Martian soil. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 16, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170427091723.htm</ref><ref>Brian J. Chow, Tzehan Chen, Ying Zhong, Yu Qiao. Direct Formation of Structural Components Using a Martian Soil Simulant. Sci Rep 7, 1151 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01157-w</ref>
 ===Heating===
-Bricks on Earth are usually made by baking in kilns.  Different temperatures give different results.  Higher kiln temperatures give more water proof bricks, which may not be very useful on Mars. Sintered regolith can be made in the shape of bricks.
+Bricks on Earth are usually made by baking in kilns.  Different temperatures give different results.  Higher kiln temperatures give more water proof bricks, which may not be very useful on Mars. [[sintered regolith|Sintered regolith]]  can be made in the shape of bricks.
 ==[[Embodied energy]]==

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The process produces small round soil pallets that are about an inch tall and can then be cut into brick shapes. The engineers believe that the iron oxide, which gives Martian soil its signature reddish hue, acts as a binding agent. They investigated the simulant's structure with various scanning tools and found that the tiny iron particles coat the simulant's bigger rocky basalt particles. The iron particles have clean, flat facets that easily bind to one another under pressure."<ref>Brian J. Chow, Tzehan Chen, Ying Zhong, Yu Qiao., University of California - San Diego. (2017, April 27). Engineers investigate a simple, no-bake recipe to make bricks from Martian soil. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 16, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170427091723.htm</ref><ref>Brian J. Chow, Tzehan Chen, Ying Zhong, Yu Qiao. Direct Formation of Structural Components Using a Martian Soil Simulant. Sci Rep 7, 1151 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01157-w</ref>
 ===Heating===
-Bricks on Earth are usually made by baking in kilns.  Different temperatures give different results.  Higher kiln temperatures give more water proof bricks, which may not be very useful on Mars.
+Bricks on Earth are usually made by baking in kilns.  Different temperatures give different results.  Higher kiln temperatures give more water proof bricks, which may not be very useful on Mars. Sintered regolith can be made in the shape of bricks.
 ==[[Embodied energy]]==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Brick Structures==
-Bricks stand up well to forces that push them together (compression) but the mortar (if any) is weaker, and brick structures do not stand up well to sideways forces (Shear) and do not work in tension.  Building a brick structure on Mars, where the inside is pressurized is problematic; the force created by the air pressure, would break the walls.  If you want to have pressurized brick structures, either the air must be contained some other way (e.g. in an inflatable structure) or enough weight must be pressing down to keep the structure stable.
+Bricks stand up well to forces that push them together (compression) but the mortar (if any) is weaker, and brick structures do not stand up well to sideways forces (Shear) and do not work at all in tension.  Building a brick structure on Mars, where the inside is pressurized is problematic; the force created by the air pressure, would break the walls.  If you want to have pressurized brick structures, either the air must be contained some other way (e.g. in an inflatable structure) or enough weight must be pressing down to keep the structure stable.
 Estimates of 6.5 meters of dirt above the structure would be safe.  (If the Mars base used 40 bar rather than 100 bar air pressure, this weight could be reduced.  Only 2.5 meters would be needed.)  See "The Case for Mars" page 191 for more discussion on this point.  Note that 6.5 meters of dirt above colony structures would provide excellent [[radiation]] protection.  Although the structure might resist the pressure, it would be subject to problems from humidity and freezing in the brick and mortar, unless a humidity control membrane, and perhaps insulation, was added.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 Bricks can be piled up 'dry', as often seen in civil works. Bricks are also often uses in thin layers held in place with mortar, generally a form of cement.  Portland cement may not be possible on Mars, so a substitute would need to be found.  Sulfur cement is a possibility, as are other types of cement.  Brick molds can be used to create interlocking shapes that can provide some strength without mortar.
-==Keep Brick Structures Under Compression==
+==Brick Structures==
 Bricks stand up well to forces that push them together, but the mortar (if any) is weaker, and brick structures do not stand up well to sideways forces.  Building a brick structure on Mars, where the inside is pressurized is problematic, the sideways force created by the air pressure, would break the walls.  If you want to have pressurized brick structures, either the air must be contained some other way (e.g. in an inflatable structure) or enough weight must be pressing down to keep the structure stable.
 Estimates of 6.5 meters of dirt above the structure would be safe.  (If the Mars base used 40 bar rather than 100 bar air pressure, this weight could be reduced.  Only 2.5 meters would be needed.)  See "The Case for Mars" page 191 for more discussion on this point.  Note that 6.5 meters of dirt above colony structures would provide excellent [[radiation]] protection.
 ==Brick Manufacturing==