An Automatic Dry Sieving Mechanism for a Lunar Brick Payload
Source abstract
Abstract
This paper presents the design, implementation, and testing of an automated sieve system tailored for lunar regolith sorting to support ISRU applications, specifically targeting particles of 500 μm size. The design incorporates an approach to mitigate sieve blocking, crucial for effective regolith particle separation, utilizing natural frequencies and adjustable sieve angles. The results indicate the system’s effectiveness in separating regolith simulant fractions, with notable variations in sieving efficiency and sieve blocking observed based on sieve angles, simulant types, and aperture sizes. Further investigations include evaluating the influence of amplitude and moisture content on sieving efficiency and analyzing sieve blocking tendencies. Despite variations in simulant behavior and operational parameters, the prototype demonstrates promising performance, characterized by tight confidence intervals in measured results.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Planetary Science and Exploration · Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies · Astro and Planetary Science
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
European Astronaut Centre, European Space Agency (ESA), D-51147 Cologne, Germany
Centre for Research and Engineering in Space Technologies (CREST), Aero-Thermo-Mechanics Department, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
European Space Resources Innovation Centre, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 4422 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Doctoral School in Science and Engineering, University of Luxembourg, 4365 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
References (24)
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