You are not logged in.
I can't think of a single life support component that is made of glass.
And, if you're thinking of making glass greenhouse panels, well, you can't bolt glass to anything, it's too brittle. It will shatter. So you can't make your greenhouse out of only glass panels.
You could make the greenhouse panels out of very strong plastic and bond a layer of glass to the outside of the strong plastic and bolt the plastic panels to each other. The glass on the outside would give the panels some weight to resist the internal pressurization that would be trying to lift the domed greenhouse from the ground.
Or you could make a frame out of steel and fix panes of glass into it using some kind of putty. The panes wouldn't need to be 3D printed and to let light in they would not need to be perfectly flat. They could be cast in cast iron moulds.
I have been giving some thought to underground greenhouses for Mars. The main advantage being that all structural forces are compressive. The dome can be made from concrete, with glass inserts.
Last edited by Calliban (2020-09-23 12:56:21)
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
Offline
The best substitute for glass is Polycarbonate transparent plastic. It's strong and absorbs UV light very well. Used widely in the aircraft industry for cockpit bubbles on fighter aircraft. It is very tough and can be drilled with a drill bit. It's potentially available through ISRU if the precursors can be made from atmospheric CO2. All eyeglass wearers should be familiar with this plastic as it's widely used to make lenses.
Offline
From my local chapter web page: Plastics
Methane
Methane is the smallest hydrocarbon, consisting of a single carbon atom with 4 hydrogen atoms. The majority of this gas will be used for fuel: rocket fuel, rover, or back-up generator. The process is a Sabatier reactor:
CO2 + H2 → CH4 + 2 H2O
An alternate method uses RWGS with electrolysis:
3 CO2 + 6 H2 → CH4 + 4 H2O + 2 CO
Benzene
6 CH4 → 9 H2 + C6H6
Phenol
benzene (C6H6) + hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) → phenol (C6H5OH) + H2O
or
toluene (C7H8) + permanganate (HMnO4) → phenol (C6H5OH) + something (possibly CO2 + H2O + Mn)
Acetone
made with the Hock process.
Cumene, also known as iso propyl benzene or i-propyl benzene, is oxidized to form cumene hydroperoxide. This step is mildly exothermic, 28kcal/mol. Cumene hydroperoxide is hydrogenated (with a positive hydrogen ion) to form phenol and acetone. It produces 60 kcal/mol.
An alternate process to make phenol converts toluene plus oxygen to benzoic acid plus water, then benzoic acid with oxygen to phenol and CO2. However, although this is easier because it starts with toluene instead of cumene, it doesn't produce acetone. Polycarbonate requires both phenol and acetone.
Polycarbonate (PC)
acetone (C3H6O) + phenol + HCl → bisphenol-A
bisphenol-A + NaOH → sodium salt of bisphenol-A
CO + Cl → phosgene (COCl2)
sodium salt of bisphenol-A + phosgene → polycarbonate
Offline
Of course a couple rovers found white sand on Mars. Opal sand. White sand + calcite + dolomite + small quantity of sodium sulphate and sodium-chloride (salt), melt in a furnace to make soda-lime glass. That's normal glass, used for windows, bottles, etc.
Offline
You have some nasty chemicals there, Robert. Phosgene in particular has been used as a terrible chemical weapon and is banned except by special license. Consequently all commercial processes using it have measures to generate it and use it immediately, without storage.
Offline
elderflower-I have used lots of phosgene in my career as a professional chemist. It DOES require special handling and personal protective measures, but on Mars with a very convenient lack of much atmosphere and the need for personal oxygen, makes handling it less problematic.
It is extremely reactive and the by product of most reactions is HCl. It essentially destroys lung tissue by acid attack and is almost uniformly fatal when breathed. More frequently, an in-situ phosgene generator provides the product as needed, but unless regulations have changed, it can still be shipped in special cylinders.
Offline
Researchers 3D Print Biodegradable “Leaves” Capable of Producing Oxygen on Mars
https://news.yahoo.com/researchers-3d-p … 00132.html
Relativity Space unveils details of larger 3D-printed rocket to launch from Cape Canaveral
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/space … canaveral/
Offline
I'd already put up a dedicated thread on Relativity Space. Why didn't you post your Relativity Space link there?
You obviously don't read anybody else's posts.
Or perhaps you are an algorithm.
Researchers 3D Print Biodegradable “Leaves” Capable of Producing Oxygen on Mars
https://news.yahoo.com/researchers-3d-p … 00132.htmlRelativity Space unveils details of larger 3D-printed rocket to launch from Cape Canaveral
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/space … canaveral/
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
Offline
That's the thread below?
After reading my news feeds I did a search and couldn't get hits
Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2021-06-11 15:29:30)
Offline
Bullet proof windows? We have a Pottery Ceramic thread
'pressure vessels'
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=10365
some other news
3D printed glass-ceramics earmarked for hardy medical microdevices
https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/3d- … es-141316/
Researchers at Vilnius University, Lithuania, have succeeded in 3D printing glass-ceramics on a nanoscopic scale.
Strong and potentially fluorescent or superconductive, these amorphous materials, and their fabrication via additive manufacturing, facilitates the creation of tailor-made quantum dots and unlocks new potential in microdevice manufacturing. Examples of such devices include microrobots or microfluidic chips used in medical research.
Year of Glass: 3D-Printed Glass
https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2022/12/09 … ted-glass/
video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GaQtH1bhpo
Oxman’s 3D-printed glass objects are beautiful to behold—and make a fitting end to our yearlong series of 2022’s Year of Glass—as demonstrations of what’s to come in glass manufacturing: designers continuing to push the boundaries of what this magical substance can do, linking art and science with their research.
3D printed bioactive and antibacterial silicate glass-ceramic scaffold by fused filament fabrication
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … 3120334342
Highlights
•
For the first time, FFF was used to fabricate silicate-based 3D scaffolds.
•
3D printed Ag-BG scaffolds displayed bioactive and antibacterial behavior.
•
Mechanical properties in the range of cancellous bone
Lithoz unlocks Corning glass ceramics for 3D printing
https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/lit … ng-163222/
Combining the best properties of their base components, glass ceramics are easy to fabricate, but also have superior mechanical toughness to the precursor glass, high resistance to radiation and chemical damage, piezoelectricity and electro-optic effects. Originating in the 1950s, glass ceramics are commercially used to make housings for radar antennas, dental implants, electric cooktops, and other thermal kitchenware.
Waste not, want not: Reusing glass in concrete for 3D-printed buildings
https://ceramics.org/ceramic-tech-today … -buildings
Potential advantages of building houses or other buildings via 3D printing methods include
Faster, affordable construction. A project can take mere days or hours instead of weeks or months, lowering overall costs.
Reduced waste. Components are printed to order, producing less waste. Any unused materials can generally be recycled. Sustainability of the build is further improved by using locally sourced materials.
Reduced health and safety risks. Conventional concrete work is often hazardous. 3D printing lowers the risks considerably, reducing worker’s compensation costs.
Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-03-07 06:41:09)
Offline