Lunar Cryogenic Excavation Reinforcement (LCER): Selective Ice–Regolith Stabilization for Lunar Utility Conduits, Shafts, and Subsurface Tunnels
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Lunar Cryogenic Excavation Reinforcement (LCER) is a conceptual engineering proposal for selectively introducing and freezing limited quantities of water within cold lunar regolith to investigate whether ice-bonded ground can improve the stability of buried underground infrastructure. The initial reference architecture uses an independently supported utility-conduit liner surrounded by a segmented, temporarily confined regolith annulus. A screening case with 0.30 m annular inner diameter, 0.15 m reinforcement thickness, and 20 m length contains approximately 4.241 cubic meters of treated regolith and requires approximately 339 kg of retained water at 5% addition by dry mass, or 452 kg delivered under the illustrative 75% placement-retention assumption. All calculations are idealized, and neither the water-delivery method nor mechanically continuous ice cementation has been validated in lunar conditions. No reduction in liner thickness or verified structural performance is claimed. The paper presents resource, thermal, and stress screening, construction alternatives, and falsifiable experimental decision gates. A supplementary Excel workbook provides editable formulas and inputs for reproduction of preliminary numerical estimates.
Author: JAGGARD, SAMUEL
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223396497