Centrifugal Experiments with Simulated Regolith: Effects of Gravity, Size Distribution, and Particle Shape on Porosity

Abstract

Porosity is a key characteristic of the regolith on the surface of small bodies. The porosity of the regolith on the surface of asteroids is changed by applied pressure, and the relationship between pressure and porosity depends on the particle properties of the regolith. We performed compression measurements on samples of different materials, particle size distributions, and shapes to examine the relationship between particle size and pressure required for compression. We used a centrifuge and a compression testing machine for the experiments. The applied pressure for the centrifuge and the compression testing machine experiments ranged from 10² to 5×10³ Pa and from 10⁴ to 5×10⁶ Pa, respectively. The initial porosity before compression was generally higher for samples with smaller particles and narrower particle size distributions. A sample compressed more easily when it consisted of smaller particles, probably due to smaller frictional forces between particles. We estimated the porosity of granular asteroids based on the results of our experiments. The estimated porosity at the center of a homogeneous asteroid with a radius of 50 km is 0.43. This porosity is typical of the porosity of asteroids of similar size.