Decrypt secret crack

American experts have created large-scale computer models to assess the formation and development of cracks in many materials.

Alain Karma, a physics professor and head of research at Northwestern University (USA), said that for many years, scientists have been trying to discover the 'route' of cracks and impacts of they are on materials where they form. The team's findings will allow them to develop new materials for aircraft turbines, microchips and artificial bones, with better resistance to cracking.

Karma and colleagues started by studying the combined effects of two types of stress on crack propagation: strain and tension. The deformation occurs naturally when the material is twisted from its shape and the tension arises when the material is stretched. The combination of deformation and tension makes the crack unstable. The mechanism for developing and spreading this instability is still a big question until the team's discovery.

By using computers, the team created large-scale computer models that showed distortion and strain that caused cracks to follow the spiral path. Based on the simulation results, the team has developed a theoretical equation that predicts how this spiral path rotates, spreads and replicates in many different materials. 'The basic question we are answering is that these crevices develop within the material. Now that we have that information, we can develop new materials to prevent cracking, as well as significantly reduce the damage that cracks cause when they form , 'said Professor Karma.

The team hopes this work could lead to new inventions in the field of lighter aircraft and automotive parts, less energy consumption, as well as artificially-made artificial bones. when inserted into the body. In addition, this work is also important for understanding the evolution of fractures on the earth's crust.