In a surprising new study, engineers at Northwestern University in Illinois have discovered that, in extreme conditions, heat doesn’t soften pure metals – it strengthens them. Not only does this new finding challenge long-held assumptions of how metals behave, it also could provide new insights for designing metals for futuristic applications in extreme conditions, such as … [Read more...] about Extreme heat increases strength of pure metals
Materials
Designing fatigue resistance to make metal alloys more durable and more sustainable
Researchers in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated that ‘fatigue’ resistance can be greatly enhanced by controlling how metal plasticity, or irreversible deformation, localises at small scales. It represents a new design strategy for engineering metallic alloys that are resistant to fatigue by leveraging unique … [Read more...] about Designing fatigue resistance to make metal alloys more durable and more sustainable
New guide on design and construction using mass timber published
Two professors in the Building and Construction Technology programme at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, experts in wood engineering, have written a comprehensive new book, Mass Timber: Materials, Design, and Construction, that serves as a one-stop resource for the rapidly evolving field of mass timber construction. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Peggi L … [Read more...] about New guide on design and construction using mass timber published
3D printing soft robots
Engineers from Harvard University’s John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new 3D printing method for building soft robots that bend and change shape in predictable ways when inflated. The technique employs what’s known as rotational multi-material 3D printing, in which a dual-material nozzle prints filaments with a flexible outer … [Read more...] about 3D printing soft robots
Turning seawater into drinking water via sunlight – without electricity
A research team, affiliated with the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea has unveiled a new technology that can convert seawater into clean drinking water using only sunlight, without any external power source. The breakthrough could play a crucial role in solving water shortages in developing countries and remote island communities, where … [Read more...] about Turning seawater into drinking water via sunlight – without electricity