this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2023
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'Stunning' discovery: Metals can heal themselves (phys.org)
submitted 1 year ago by L4s to c/technology
8 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

'Stunning' discovery: Metals can heal themselves::Scientists for the first time have witnessed pieces of metal crack, then fuse back together without any human intervention, overturning fundamental scientific theories in the process. If the newly discovered phenomenon can be harnessed, it could usher in an engineering revolution—one in which self-healing engines, bridges and airplanes could reverse damage caused by wear and tear, making them safer and longer-lasting.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Isn't cold welding essentially that?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The issue is that, from my understanding, it needs to be in a low/no oxygen environment to prevent the oxidized layer that forms and blocks the metal from fusing. I've heard from interviews with astronauts that they can re-fuse chunks of metal in space by just pushing them back together.

[–] twack 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"Autonomous healing of fatigue cracks via cold welding"

That's the literal name of the paper. I'm quite over this story getting pumped around the internet. This is not news. This is not novel.

Also, this particular source leaving out the fact that the experiment was performed under vacuum is especially deceitful.

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