Unexpected result shows that in some cases, pulling apart makes cracks in metal fuse together
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - 08:30
in Physics & Chemistry
It was a result so unexpected that MIT researchers initially thought it must be a mistake: Under certain conditions, putting a cracked piece of metal under tension—that is, exerting a force that would be expected to pull it apart—has the reverse effect, causing the crack to close and its edges to fuse together.