“Eternal” alloys: quantum mechanics against broken parts
The unique method promises to revolutionize the understanding of the strength of materials.
Scientists developed
a new method for testing materials based on the principles of quantum mechanics, which can significantly improve predictions about their plasticity. This discovery could lead to the creation of virtually “indestructible” metals for use in components for a variety of applications. The study was conducted jointly by scientists from Ames National Laboratory and Texas A&M University.
The new method, based on quantum mechanics, has already shown its effectiveness on refractory multi-principles elemental alloys, which often do not have the necessary ductility for use in extreme environments such as fusion technologies, aerospace applications and other applications where metals must withstand extreme temperatures.
The main problem in such industries for many decades has been the difficulty of predicting the deformation thresholds of metals without compromising their strength. This led to the need to use trial and error, which was associated with high costs for repeated testing of materials and required significant time.
The new approach incorporates the phenomenon of local atomic distortion into materials analysis, in which each atom has a different shape and constantly adapts to fit the space it occupies. Prasant Singh, a theoretical research leader at the Ames Laboratory, argues that current testing methods are not effective at distinguishing between ductile and brittle systems for small changes in composition. However, the new method allows such minor details to be taken into account by adding a quantum mechanical feature that was previously missing.
According to Singh, the developed method can test thousands of materials in a very short time, making unprecedented predictions about different materials and combinations that are worth further research. This discovery opens the way to the creation of indestructible alloys that could revolutionize many industries.
