A Microwave Kiln for Martian Regolith Bricks: Dielectric-Heating Sizing for Construction Blocks

This paper presents a sized design for a Mars surface system based on volumetric dielectric (microwave) heating that sinters pressed regolith bricks from the inside outward. A microwave cavity kiln producing standardised sintered bricks for walls, berms and radiation-shield blocks. The study is SIMULATED, NOT MEASURED: all values are computed from stated assumptions and published Martian environmental data, and no hardware was built or tested. The principal computed results are frequency GHz of 2.45, magnetron power kW of 6, heating efficiency of 0.62, brick mass kg of 7.8. Further results include temperature rise K of 1080, thermal energy per brick MJ of 7.41, electrical energy per brick MJ of 11.96, electrical energy per brick kWh of 3.32. The design is a computed study for peaceful surface operations — power supply, thermal control, radiation protection, construction and resource extraction for a crewed base — and it has no targeting or weapon application. Losses, deratings for dust and temperature, and the margin between capacity and the stated load are reported alongside the headline figures, and the limitations section states what a physical test would still need to establish.