Investigation into failure mechanisms of lunar regolith simulant under thin-walled drilling tool with critical parameters

Abstract

Acquiring pristine deep lunar regolith cores with appropriate drilling tools is crucial for deciphering the lunar geological history. Conventional thick-walled drill bits are inherently limited in obtaining deep lunar regolith samples, whereas thin-walled coring bits offer a promising solution for lunar deep drilling. To support future lunar deep exploration missions, this study systematically investigates the failure mechanisms of lunar regolith induced by thin-walled drilling tools. Firstly, five thin-walled bit configurations were designed and evaluated based on drilling load, coring efficiency, and disturbance minimization, with Bit D demonstrating optimal overall performance. And the interaction mechanisms between differently configured coring bits and large-particle lunar regolith were elucidated. Coring experiments under critical drilling parameters revealed an operational window for the feed-to-rotation ratio (FRR of 2.0-2.5), effectively balancing drilling load and core recovery rate. Furthermore, a novel theoretical framework was developed to characterize dynamic drilling load parameters, supported by experimental validation. Based on these findings, practical strategies are proposed to mitigate drilling-induced disturbances, including parameter optimization and bit structural improvements. This research could provide valuable insights for designing advanced lunar deep drilling tools and developing drilling procedures.

Keywords

Lunar regolith simulant / Tool-regolith interaction / Failure mechanism / Thin-walled core bit / Drilling and coring

Acknowledgments

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52225403, 52434004, and 52404365), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2023YFF0615404) and the Scientific Instrument Developing Project of Shenzhen University.

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