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The goal of this proposal is to develop models of the electrostatic-interaction of lunar regolith dust to incorporate into the state-of-the-art simulation package. Because of the complex shape of the regolith dust, during the development of the new models studies will start with simple grains and proceed to more complex grains. These modifications to the software require experimental verification to ensure the model results actually match what is seen physically. The simplest of the electrostatic interactions has already been ported from LAMMPS to LIGGGHTS as a proof of concept by the researchers and they have independently verified that a group of charged spherical particles behave as expected. While not designed for a large number of granular interactions, electric fields between non-spherical particles may be verified using the COMSOL Multiphysics software package to which the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory (ESPL) already has access and expertise that will be leveraged for the proposed work. This high-fidelity output will be an additional critical step in model verification while modifying the source code of LIGGGHTS. Deliverables at project completion will be the finalized and documented code that has been added to the basic LIGGGHTS software package along with the completed model. All experimental verification for the model inputs and outputs will be outlined in a final report.
Current SOA granular gas dynamics models used to explain rocket plume impingement physics have not taken into account the natural or induced electrostatic environment of the lunar surface, nor the effect of charged regolith grains being present in the plume plasma. This model will help to provide a more complete picture of how the hardware designs needed for a successful lunar human landing.
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