The “Life” of Materials
摘要
Metals have been personalized since the Sumerian era and this comparison persists. We talk about aging, fatigue, and the lifespan of materials. Indeed, and contrary to what is perceived from the outside, a material is not inert. It reacts with its environment. Its atoms displace, attract or repel each other, unite or annihilate. It is this internal “life” that gives the material most of its functional properties.