Interfax reports that the staff of the Laboratory for Physics of High-Strength Crystals, Tomsk State University, have changed the structure of alloys imparting them with an increased ability to deform and restore the original shape. This was also reported by the press service of the university.
The scientists worked with high-entropy alloys, which, unlike conventional ones, consist of five or more elements, as well as with ferromagnetic alloys. These materials are fabricated for the space industry, severe climatic conditions, including Arctic ones, as well as for robotics and microsystem technologies.
“Due to nanoparticles added to high-entropy alloys, a reversible deformation of up to 13.5% was obtained. Materials scientists all over the world strive for the maximum calculated deformation resource equal to 8.7%. TSU physicists were the first to obtain twice as high as the theoretical resource and described the mechanism of this process,” says Yuri Chumlyakov, head of the Laboratory.
Anna Eftifeeva, a scientist from the Laboratory, clarified to Interfax that they have attained a reversible deformation of 15% for ferromagnetic alloys, whereas scientists all over the world are striving to obtain a theoretical deformation resource of 16%, but no one has yet achieved this result.
“We obtained this result using our previously patented method, that is, we kept the alloy under load at 150–175 degrees Celsius. The method is referred to as aging in a martensitic state under load,” Eftifeeva says.
According to scientists, in addition to the space and Arctic industries, the research results can be used in fire alarms – when the temperature in the room rises, the material will change its shape and trigger the fire safety system.
At present, TSU physicists are planning to conduct research into the cyclic stability of the obtained properties in order to achieve stable performance and further introduction of these materials into production.
The research was supported by two grants from the Russian Science Foundation, the German Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and the grant from the Mendeleev Science Foundation, TSU.
Source: News of Фstronautics.