Compaction performance of a scale model vibrating drum roller on lunar highlands regolith simulant

Abstract

As NASA is progressing towards crewed long-term missions to the lunar South Pole, a detailed understanding of the geotechnical behaviour of lunar highlands regolith will be essential for the design of foundations, mobility systems, and in situ construction processes. This study investigates the compaction behaviour of a lunar highlands regolith simulant using a scale model lunar vibrating drum roller (LVDR-1). Two drum roller masses—2.92 kg and 4.45 kg—were examined under controlled vibration frequencies and translational scale speeds. For the 2.92 kg mass, scale speeds of 2 km/h and 4 km/h were tested at 40 Hz and 30 Hz, respectively, whilst for the 4.45 kg mass, scale speeds of 2 km/h and 6 km/h were tested at 40 Hz to evaluate their influence on compaction performance. Key parameters, including surface settlement, vertical pressure, penetration resistance, and bulk density, were recorded to assess the effectiveness of each roller configuration. The results show that the heavier roller mass consistently provides superior compaction performance, achieving greater surface deformation, higher penetration resistance, increased bulk density, and deeper stress transmission within the simulant bed.