Influence of low gravity on the penetration resistance of lunar regolith

Lunar surface operations conducted by the United States and the Soviet Union confirmed that penetration resistance is a key indicator for evaluating the engineering properties of lunar regolith. To quantitatively assess the influence of reduced gravity on penetration resistance, this study employed a newly developed Geotechnical Magnetic-gravity Modeling Test (GMMT) system to perform cone penetration tests under controlled gravitational acceleration levels of 1/6 g, 1 g, and 2 g. The results indicated that the normalized penetration resistance increased as gravity decreased, and this effect was amplified at higher relative densities. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, discrete element method (DEM) simulations were conducted. The findings revealed that, in addition to gravity, in situ factors such as high relative density and irregular particle morphology also significantly enhanced penetration resistance by strengthening interparticle contact and friction. These non-gravitational effects partially offset the expected reduction in resistance under lower gravity, leading to a smaller-than-anticipated decline. This study provides new insights into the gravity-dependent penetration behavior of lunar regolith.