Scientists have witnessed something extraordinary. According to new reports and research, scientists watched healing metal, where cracked metal fused back together without any kind of human intervention. The discovery is one that could completely change how machines work, because machines are often victims of what we call fatigue damage.
Fatigue damage is essentially one of the main ways that machines wear out, causing them to break over time. This is a natural condition that happens as machines go through repeated stress and motion, which causes microscopic cracks to form in the metal. Over time those cracks grow more, eventually spreading until the entire device breaks or fails.
The scientists say that this latest discovery only showcases that metals have their own “intrinsic, natural ability to heal,” at least when it comes to fatigue damage at a nanoscale. For other, much larger cracks, the healing process may be unlikely or slow. It’s unclear.
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