Associate Professor，Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)
Research Interest: geomechanics and geophysics of extraterrestrial geomaterials.

Title:
High-Fidelity Digital Twin and Discrete Element Simulation of Chang’e-5 Lunar Regolith Samples

Abstract: Lunar regolith is both a scientific archive and a critical engineering material for future exploration. In this talk, I will present our recent study of lunar soil returned by China’s Chang’e-5 mission using high-resolution 3D X-ray computed tomography and machine-learning-based image analysis. This non-destructive approach enables detailed characterization of individual soil particles, including their size, shape, texture, and mineralogical features. The Chang’e-5 samples provide new insights into the diversity and engineering behavior of lunar surface materials. Based on these measurements, we developed PolyU-1, a high-fidelity lunar soil simulant designed to reproduce key physical and compositional characteristics of the returned regolith. Using this simulant, we investigated mechanical properties relevant to lunar engineering applications, such as landing, rover mobility, excavation, drilling, and construction. The talk will also discuss how improved understanding of lunar regolith can support in-situ resource utilization and the development of sustainable infrastructure for future long-term lunar missions.

Bio

Dr Qi Zhao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and a Management Committee Member of the Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE) at PolyU. He is a recipient of the Leopold Müller Award from the Austrian Society for Geomechanics and the Dr N.G.W. Cook PhD Dissertation Award from the American Rock Mechanics Association. His research focuses on the geomechanics and geophysics of extraterrestrial geomaterials. Dr Zhao’s team has been investigating samples from the two Chinese lunar regolith sample-return missions, Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6, and is exploring granular physics in low-gravity environments by conducting granular flow experiments onboard the Chinese Space Station.