We are fortunate to live on Earth, a place with a protected atmosphere, moderate temperatures, and so-called "relatively normal" levels of gravity. If we go to a place with different conditions, life may not be so easy.
For example, in space. There is almost no gravity in space, and people's bones become fragile and they don't even know if they are hungry, because people can't feel what is happening to their bodies without gravity. Therefore, zero gravity is not friendly to humans. However, this does not mean that everything will "go down" in weightlessness. In fact, some things have become stronger.
Stronger microgravity cement
Cement is the most basic material people need to build houses. According to a paper published in the Journal of Astronomy in 2019, ISS ( International Space Station ) astronauts successfully mixed cement in a microgravity environment for the first time. The results were unexpected: the microstructure of cement samples processed on the space station was greatly changed compared to cement processed on Earth. The researchers sent
the basic components of the cement to the ISS and then mixed water and tricalcium silicate, the main mineral component of the cement, in a bag to harden it for 42 days through a hydration process. The results show that the cement mixed in microgravity does cure as it does on Earth. Cement on
Earth has a layered structure due to gravity, while ISS lacks gravity, so the density of mixed cement is very uniform, which means that space cement is stronger. At the same time, there are more voids in space cement, and the porosity will also significantly affect the performance of cement materials. This result marks an important step towards the goal of "building houses on the moon".
With the rapid development of science and technology, the future of cement industry has unlimited possibilities. Over the years, the China Cement Industry Summit has focused on hot areas such as intelligent manufacturing, and the forward-looking views, innovative ideas and practical experience put forward at previous summits have become an important driving force for the progress of China's cement industry. On March 28-29, China Cement Network will hold the "13th China Cement Industry Summit and TOP100 Award Ceremony" in Hangzhou. The conference will analyze and discuss technological progress, industrial upgrading and other aspects. Please look forward to it.
