When Hair Cracks Steel

Posted on August 13, 2020

Hair can crack steel if it hits an imperfection at just the right angle. This is an issue for razor blade manufacturers.

This video from AAAS Science Magazine shows how razor blades have bumps and tiny imperfections that show up under an electron microscope. A study by researchers found that the roughness of the edge of the razor plays a role in the formation of chips that can lead to cracks. Some regions of the blade are also softer than other regions.



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