Can we weld on the moon? A UT Dallas team is simulating the answer

Humanity’s return to the Moon, and eventual journeys to Mars, hinge on our ability to build reliable, permanent structures. Think habitats, landing pads, power stations and the like. But transporting fully assembled structures from Earth is prohibitively expensive and complex. The logical alternative is in-situ assembly, and a fundamental process for joining metal components is welding. But transplanting this terrestrial technology to the Moon presents a unique set of R&D challenges. How do you ensure a strong, reliable weld in an environment utterly hostile to conventional manufacturing?

Wei Li, Ph.D., an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas, is tackling that question.

“There are three main challenges for the astronauts working on the moon’s surface,” Li said in a press release. “The moon has a very thin atmosphere, so there are steep temperature changes, from around minus 387 degrees Fahrenheit to 260 degrees Fahrenheit.” On top of that, he points to the extreme vacuum environment created by this thin atmosphere, which fundamentally alters material interactions and process physics compared to terrestrial welding. Lastly, the minimal gravity on the lunar surface – only about one-sixth that of Earth – impacts crucial dynamics like molten material flow and weld pool stability. Li emphasizes that this combination of extreme conditions can readily introduce manufacturing defects, potentially compromising the load-bearing capability and safety of structures built using these techniques.

Li has received a grant from NASA to address such obstacles. The Early Stage Innovations (ESI) grant from NASA, a program designed to accelerate high-risk, high-payoff space technologies. This three-year, $750,000 award directly supports his development of a novel Virtual Lunar Welding Platform.

Instead of relying solely on complex physical experiments in simulated or actual space environments, Li’s team at the Comprehensive Advanced Manufacturing Lab is pioneering a simulation-first approach. They are creating sophisticated multi-physics models to meticulously simulate how different welding processes – specifically electrical arc, laser beam, and electron-beam welding – will behave and perform under the unique constraints of the lunar surface.

The core goal is to predict weld quality, anticipate defect formation, and understand the resulting mechanical properties of the joined materials computationally. The simulation could significantly de-risk and refine the techniques before extensive physical validation.

Li was one of only six researchers nationwide selected for the prestigious NASA Early Stage Innovations award in 2024,