Why Smaller is Stronger
6 January 2008, 17:11
Categories: nanoscopy--microscopy
As structures made of metal get smaller — as their dimensions approach the micrometer scale or less — they get stronger. Scientists discovered this phenomenon 50 years ago while measuring the strength of tin “whiskers” a few micrometers in diameter and a few millimeters in length. Many theories have been proposed to explain why smaller is stronger, but only recently has it become possible to see and record what’s actually happening in tiny structures under stress, thanks to work performed by researchers at the Berkeley Lab, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory located in Berkeley, California.
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Posted by: The Editors
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