Zhou Cheng, Cheng Shanshan, Gao Yuyue, Zhao Jiannan, Xiao Long, Ding Lieyun
National Center of Technology Innovation for Digital Construction, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
Research (Wash D C). 2025 Sep 11;8:0849. doi: 10.34133/research.0849. eCollection 2025.
Sustainable habitation systems are critical to enabling deep-space exploration on Mars, where challenges such as low gravity, extreme thermal fluctuations, and resource constraints demand advanced structural innovations. This study introduces Zhuque Base, a habitat concept inspired by terrestrial cave-dwelling principles, optimized through finite element analysis via COMSOL Multiphysics. Three arch-based configurations-the eggshell, catenary, and 2-centered arch-were systematically evaluated by parameterizing geometric variables. The study demonstrated that eggshell arches significantly outperformed 2-centered and catenary arches in mechanical properties, reducing vertical displacement of critical points such as sidewalls by 53% and 44%, respectively. In terms of thermal efficiency, the optimal catenary arch showed 5.5% and 6.7% lower heat loss than eggshell and 2-centered arches. Furthermore, the implementation of optimal parameters (span: 3.2 m, height: 1.25 or 1.45 m) limits the peak compressive stress to 195.72 to 203.38 kPa, while the cross-sectional area can be increased by 14% to maximize the available internal space. These findings establish a parameter-driven framework for in situ Mars habitat optimization, emphasizing the trade-off between mechanical robustness and thermal efficiency in extraterrestrial structural design.
