Laboratory Evaluation of Footings for Lunar Telescopes

by Koon Meng Chua, Univ of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA,
Kelly M. Golis, Univ of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA,
Stewart W. Johnson, Univ of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space III

Abstract:

Presented here are the results of laboratory experiments with different footing shapes for lunar telescopes. These experiments used a variety of soils including some to simulate regolith response. Based on what is known of regolith and regolith-structure interaction, a shallow-multiple-contact points footing foundation can be adequately designed to support lunar telescopes. Plane-strain load-displacement tests were conducted with different footings and different lunar simulants in a deep transparent plexiglass container. The model footings considered include the rectangular, hemispherical, and spudcan designs. Simulants used to reproduce the mechanical properties of the lunar regolith were fly ash, crushed basalt with and without glass, and a processed lunar simulant. Load-displacement curves were obtained for the different footings in Ottawa sand and in the crushed basalt with glass. The spudcan footing was found to be self-digging and yet stiff, thus providing excellent lateral stability in a large variety of soils.

Subject Headings: Footings | Telescopes | Lunar materials | Regolith | Moon | Laboratory tests | Soil-structure interaction

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