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BYU Researchers Develop Method That Could Produce Stronger, More Pliable Metals

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1707-84 Gus, Eric & Conrad 0009 1707-84 Gus, Eric & Conrad Making metals stronger, more flexible, and less corrosive with computer algorithms. July 31, 2017 Photography by Nate Edwards/BYU © BYU PHOTO 2017 All Rights Reserved photo@byu.edu (801)422-7322
Photo by Nate Edwards

It may not be as catchy as chains and weak links, but physicists and engineers know “a material is only as strong as its weakest grain boundary.”

OK, that’s not catchy at all, but here’s the point: grain boundaries are a big deal. They are the microscopic, disordered regions where atom-sized building blocks bind the crystals (i.e. grains) together in materials.

Read more here.