Metals Unveil Astonishing Self-Healing Abilities

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have made an unexpected discovery while studying the performance of metals under repeated stress. They observed a piece of metal that had cracked begin to fuse itself back together without any external intervention. This self-healing phenomenon, never seen before in metals, could have significant implications for engineering. The researchers believe that if harnessed, this ability could prevent fatigue damage and catastrophic failures in structures such as bridges and airplanes. The findings confirm a theory proposed in 2013 by Michael Demkowicz, who argued that metals should be able to autonomously cold-weld fatigue cracks together. Further research is needed to understand the conditions that promote this self-healing behavior in metals.