MATERIAL PROPERTIES FOR DESIGN
To estimate the masses of components for alternate configurations, nominal design values for a variety of physical properties must be assumed for the materials involved. Only a few "standard" metal alloys are shown in Table 4-4, chosen to give good weldability, corrosion resistance, and forming properties. A more careful specification of specific alloy percentages for structural components in a final design is expected to reduce the actual structural mass somewhat from that derived from this conservative approach. For particular applications where, for example, cyclic stress reversal may induce fatigue, high temperatures cause creep, or low temperatures cause brittleness, special materials must be used.
TABLE 4-4 (gif format)
Tensil strength | Conductivity | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metal types | Ultimate MPa | Yield MPa | Working MPa | Brinell hardness number | Density G, 10^3 kg/m^3 | Modulus E, MPa | Poisson ratio | Coefficient of expansion 10^-6 X C^-1 (degrees) | Electric 10^-6 X ohm-m^-1 |
Thermal W/m degrees C |
Aluminum (150 Degrees C) i) Pure (99.5 percent) | 83 | 41 | 28 | 30 | 2.70 | 70,000 | 1/3 | 24 | 36 | 230 |
ii) Heat treated alloy: Al 12 Si 0.5 Mg | 303 | 248 | 165 | 95 | 2.65 | 76,000 | 1/3 | 19 | 21 | 157 |
iii) Cold form wire or plate | 455 | 352 | 234 | 140 | 2.65 | 76,000 | 1/3 | 20 | 31 | 163 |
Titanium i)Heat treated alloy: Ti 5 Al 2.5 Sn | 620 | 517 | 345 | 105 | 4.54 | 110,000 | 1/3 | 10 | - | 22 |
Cold formed wire or plate | 1030 | 931 | 620 | 110 | 4.54 | 110,000 | 1/3 | 9 | - | 23 |
i) Magnesium Heat treated castings: Mg 8.5 Al | 138 | 83 | 55 | 48 | 1.8 | 43,000 | 0.35 | 27 | 7 | 93 |
ii)Thin plate or wire Mg 3 Al 0.5 Mn 0.1 Zn | 207 | 152 | 110 | 52 | 1.8 | 43,000 | .35 | 25 | 8 | 81 |
Steel i) Wrought iron | 352 | 207 | 138 | 70 | 7.8 | 207,000 | .3 | 12 | 9 | 93 |
ii) Rolled - heat treated | 538 | 352 | 234 | 120 | 7.8 | 200,000 | .3 | 12 | 8 | 81 |
iii) Cold drawn | 1380 | 1240 | 830 | 200 | 7.8 | 200,000 | .3 | 12 | 8 | 81 |
A safety factor of 1.5 is applied to the yield stress to give safe working values. This corresponds to the standard for large civil engineering structures combining dead- and live-load factors. In all large structures the material is proof-tested before use, so that, in reality, the end result of processing and fabrication is not a dubious variable but can be a controlled parameter. At least one good machine for static and dynamic testing of the strength of materials must be included in the laboratory equipment brought from Earth to the colony site.
The strength properties of ceramic-type materials and "soil" if (table 4-5) are low, and experimental results from any pilot study for processing lunar ores should help define them more precisely. While it should also be possible to grow long glass fibers having great structural strength, such materials are not assumed for construction of the first colony.
TABLE 4-5 (gif format)
Flexural working stress MPa | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Untempered | Tempered | Brinell hardness number | Density G, 10^3 kg/m^3 | Poisson ratio, | Coefficient of expansion 10^-6 C^-1degrees | Thermal conductivity, W/m C (degrees) | |
Ceramics i) Silica glass | 3.4 | 6.9 | 400 | 2.2 | 0.18 | 80 | 15 |
ii)Window sheet | 8.3 | 16.5 | 500 | 2.45 | .23 | 850 | .9 |
Rock i)Fused | 3.4 | 200 | 2.8 | .15 | - | - | |
ii)Soil (dry) | - | - | 1.4 | .1 | - | - | |
iii)Soil (60 percent moisture) | - | - | 1.68 | .5 | - | - |