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Tracking the Cracks

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the broken-news dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Israeli physicists from the Weizmann Institute have used a new approach to study how materials break. In a short news release, brilliantly titled "Breaking news", they explain their new method for analyzing the progression of a forming crack. The news release even says that it could have help engineers predict 'exactly how much pressure the levees protecting New Orleans could withstand before giving way.' This method could be used by engineers and material scientists in a vast variety of applications."

4 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting by tsa · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm currently involved in the making of 3D nano devices. One of the steps involved in the making of these things is the breaking of a silicon wafer. This is currently the least reliable step in our process, and we sure are very interested in ways to improve this.

    --

    -- Cheers!

  2. Re:Don't be ridiculous by linguae · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sometimes the government "fix" is broken, too.

  3. Re:I for one.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting
    Israel was formed so that there would be one place in the world that the jews could rely on the government not kicking them out. The land seemed appropriate since it was their original homeland and was at that time in the hands of the British.

    So when do we in the rest of the world get to kick ours out? It's been 50 years, and I'm still waiting.

    All I can say is, thank god for Khatami.

  4. American Committee for the Weitzman Institute? by Animats · · Score: 4, Interesting
    This press release comes from the American Committee for the Weitzmann Institute of Science. Who are they? The Weitzmann Institute is a good research school in Israel, but this "American Committee" thing is apparently some kind of a fund raising operation. The return address on the press release is from Janine Gordon Associates, "Where corporate and brand reputations are built, enhanced, and transformed." They also promote "bankrate.com" and Bridal Guide magazine.

    Janine Gordon Associates specializes in placing favorable PR pieces, rather than direct advertising. See their case histories page, where they boast about how they plant stories. (Note: annoying all-Flash site.)

    This is a Roland the Plogger story, of course. But, for once, none of the links benefit his search engine ranking. So one wonders if Janine Gordon Associates uses Roland the Plogger.