News From the Field
Building Better Structural Materials
December 13, 2012
When materials are stressed, they eventually change shape. Initially these changes are elastic, and reverse when the stress is relieved. When the material's strength is exceeded, however, the changes become permanent. This could result in the material breaking or shattering, but it could also reshape the material, such as a hammer denting a piece of metal. Understanding this last group of changes is the focus of research by a team including the Carnegie Institution's Ho-kwang Mao.
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