Preprint / Version 1

Optimising speed and frequency of a scale model smooth vibrating drum roller on lunar highland regolith simulant

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31224/6434

Keywords:

laboratory testing, Vibration frequency, soil compaction, lunar regolith, lunar operations

Abstract

As part of NASA’s Artemis program, establishing a sustainable lunar base near the Moon’s South Pole is a key objective. Understanding the effects of compaction on the lunar surface is essential to support infrastructure development and long-term exploration activities. This study presents the results of laboratory experiments conducted using a scaled lunar vibrating drum roller (LVDR-1) to investigate the densification behaviour of lunar highland regolith simulant. LVDR-1 used in this study had two different roller masses: 2.92 kg and 4.45 kg. Besides mass, experiments conducted evaluated the effects of varying roller speed and motor frequency. Key metrics such as surface settlement and roller-induced vertical pressure were measured to assess compaction effectiveness. The vertical pressure results were most influenced by the frequency at which the LVDR-1 operated. For the 2.92 kg mass, the highest peak pressures were observed at 2 km/h and 40 Hz, whilst for the 4.45 kg mass, 6 km/h and 40 Hz were found to be optimal, confirming that the optimal combination of speed and frequency differs with roller mass.

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Author Biographies

Dr. Brendan Scott, Adelaide University

Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering and Construction Management at Adelaide University. Research interests include ground improvement (in particular impact compaction), unsaturated & expansive soils and lunar geotechnics. Member of the Australian Geomechanics Society and the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.Formerly, Manager of EngTest, the commercial arm of the School of Civil, Environmental & Mining Engineering at The University of Adelaide that conducts commercial testing, consulting and contract research. Prior to working at The University of Adelaide, 8 years of consulting engineering experience with two large international consulting firms, working on a variety of engineering projects in several Australian States in the commercial, residential and industrial sectors. Experience includes multi-storey buildings, major earthworks, slope stability, transmission towers, wind farms, environmental impact statements, railways and large-scale residential projects.

Prof. Mark Jaksa, Adelaide University

Professor Mark Jaksa is Emeritus Professor of Geotechnical Engineering in the School of Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of Adelaide, Australia. After an academic career of 36 years at the University of Adelaide, Mark retired at the end of 2023 and is now serving as Emeritus Professor. Before beginning his academic career in 1988, he spent 4 years practicing as a consulting geotechnical and civil engineer in Adelaide and Canberra. He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree in Civil Engineering and a PhD, both from the University of Adelaide.He has published more than 230 papers, chapters and reports on various aspects of geotechnical engineering research and teaching. His primary areas of expertise are in the characterisation of the spatial variability of soils, probabilistic analyses, artificial intelligence, ground improvement and enhancing learning in geotechnical engineering. He has received several awards recognising his contributions to learning and teaching in geotechnical engineering.Mark is a former Chair of the Australian Geomechanics Society and Vice-President for Australasia and Treasurer of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. He also previously served as the Chair of the ISSMGE’s Technical Committee, TC306, on Geo-engineering Education and was a member of TC304, Risk Assessment and Management.His research interests include:- Spatial variability of soils- Probabilistic analysis and design in geotechnical engineering- Artificial intelligence (ANNs, SVM, GP)- Ground improvement using rolling dynamic compaction and dynamic compaction- Lunar geotechnics- Geostatistics- Optimisation of site investigations- Slope stability and riverbank collapse modelling- Numerical modelling in geotechnical engineering- Earthquake geotechnical engineering- Expansive and unsaturated soils- Residential footing design- Environmental geotechnics and landfills- In situ testing of soils (CPT, DMT, DCP, Nuclear density meter)- Tensile capacity of small ground anchors- Geotechnical engineering education.

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Posted

2026-02-06

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Copyright (c) 2026 Akshay Kumar Agarwal, Dr. Brendan Scott, Prof. Mark Jaksa

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.