Internal friction and velocity measurements

Abstract

The Q of a lunar basalt sample was measured under varying vacuum conditions, and it was found that even at pressures as low as 10 to the -7th to 10 to the -10th torr, substantial increases in Q with decreasing pressure are observed, while the resonant frequency increases only slightly. This suggests that only small amounts of volatiles are sufficient to increase the internal friction (lower the Q) dramatically. The technique of vibrating encapsulated samples in the torsional mode was used to measure Q of terrestrial rocks as a function of hydrostatic pressure under lunar vacuum conditions. Young's modulus measurements in the temperature range 25-600 C under a variety of conditions including high vacuum show no evidence of any irreversibility upon temperature cycling and no indication that the high Q-values obtained are associated with any permanent structure changes such as the formation of lossless 'welded' contacts.