Three-Phase Statistically Equivalent Periodic Unit Cells for Protein-Bound Soils

Published

May 25, 2016

Author(s)

Edward Garboczi, Isamar Rosa, Michael Lepech, Henning Roedel, David Loftus

Abstract

This work focuses on a novel class of composites that can be produced extraterrestrially, or in situ, by desiccating a mixture of soil, water, and protein binder to create a strong, versatile material. To date, experimental tests of mechanical properties have shown significant variability among samples. For this paper, the focus is on the framework for the creation of Statistically Equivalent Periodic Unit Cells (SEPUC) to stochastically model protein-bound composites for the purpose of creating finite element models that provide insights into experimental results. Model inputs include the soil granulometry and volume fractions of the phases. After a virtual image is created, it is then statistically compared to real images obtained through micro-CT scanning and a simple genetic algorithm is used to minimize the statistical difference between the virtual model and the real image.

Proceedings Title

ASCE Earth and Space 2016

Conference Dates

April 11-15, 2016

Conference Location

Orlando, FL, US

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

lunar soil, composites, protein binder, bovine serum albumin, NASA

Citation

Garboczi, E. , Rosa, I. , Lepech, M. , Roedel, H. and Loftus, D. (2016), Three-Phase Statistically Equivalent Periodic Unit Cells for Protein-Bound Soils, ASCE Earth and Space 2016, Orlando, FL, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=919784 (Accessed October 28, 2025)