In-situ observation of Crack growth of Fused Silica Glass

The Moon Village and similar concepts are strongly reliant on in situ resource utilisation (ISRU). There is great interest in harvesting solar power using locally leveraged in situ resources as an essential facet of in situ infrastructure. Traditionally, silicon-based photovoltaic cells have been assumed, preferably manufactured in situ using a 3D printing rover, but there are major difficulties with such scenarios. Solar cells require pre-processing of regolith and solar cell manufacture. We present an alternative lunar resource leveraged-solar power production system on the Moon which can yield high conversion efficiencies – solar Fresnel lens-thermionic conversion. The thermionic vacuum tube is constructed from lunar-derived materials and NiFe asteroidal ores on the Moon. Given that the majority of energy required for ISRU is thermal, thermionic conversion exploits this energy source directly. Silicates such as anorthite can be treated with acid to yield alumina and silicic acid in solution from which pure silica can be precipitated. Pure silica when heated to high temperature yields fused silica glass which is transparent – fused silica glass may be employed to manufacture Fresnel lenses and/or mirrors. Both silica and alumina may be input to the Metalysis Fray Farthing Chen Cambridge electrolytic process to yield near pure Si and near pure Al, respectively.

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Spectral Properties of Spatially and Spectrally Partially Coherent Pulsed Beams in Fused-Silica Glass Medium

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.663-665.108 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 663-665 ◽

pp. 108-112

Author(s):

Chao Liang Ding ◽

Min Teng ◽

Zhi Guo Zhao ◽

Liu Zhan Pan

Keyword(s):

Spatial Correlation ◽

Correlation Length ◽

Silica Glass ◽

Coherence Length ◽

Spectral Properties ◽

Spectral Shift ◽

Fused Silica ◽

Partially Coherent ◽

Spatial Correlation Length ◽

Fused Silica Glass

Using the coherence theory of non-stationary fields and the method of Fourier transform, the spectral properties of spatially and spectrally partially coherent Gaussian Schell-model pulsed (GSMP) beams in fused-silica glass medium are studied and analyzed numerically. It is shown that the spectral shift takes place, which depends on the position of the field point, spatial correlation length, temporal coherence length and dispersive property of medium, as GSMP beams propagate in fused-silica glass medium. The on-axis spectrum is blue-shifted, and the relative spectral shift increases with increasing propagation distance, and decreases as the spatial correlation length and temporal coherence length increases, and then approaches an asymptotic value. The dispersive property of medium plays an important role in the spectral properties of spatially and spectrally partially coherent beams.

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