Why are metals so stretchy? (2^13 sub special)

It's play button time, and today it's made from copper foil - a surprisingly stretchable material. You wouldn't think that crystalline materials like metals could deform without destroying the atomic pattern that gives them their strength and electronic properties, but with the help of a crystal defect called a dislocation, it's super easy. Dislocations are agents of plastic deformation, traveling through crystals and enabling malleability and ductility in soft metals like copper, making them great raw materials! I hope you enjoy this dive into the materials science of plastic strain, and if this is your first video here, be sure to subscribe for more!
Thanks to all my OG subscribers, and welcome to the new ones! And a big thanks to Steve Mould for sending some of his awesome fans my way. / steventhebrave
Corrections and Clarifications:
- "Plastic deformation" is a term that means a permanent change in shape, even in metals, we call it plastic.
- There are also grain boundary considerations in polycrystalline materials that I don't address at all - mostly it shows up in tension, because bubble rafts aren't ACTUALLY very ductile.
- More to add when I get convinced I'm wrong!
Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:
/ alphaphoenixchannel
/ alpha__phoenix
#Materials #Physics #Crystals
The original bubble model video from 1952 narrated by Bragg himself - a real hidden gem of matsci history.
• Experiments with the B...
GIFs:
short: gfycat.com/contentinsignifica...
long: gfycat.com/compassionatewavyb...
Music in this video:
I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
The UNKILLABLE Snake AI (Entire 30x30 game)
Hestu tune from Nintendo
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

This demo is so cool. Awesome video.

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Thanks Grady! This one was a lot of fun. I wasn't lying when I said it was one of my favorite matsci demos - I'm flabbergasted it isn't in every 101 class.

[@tacoborito9320]

Hmm funny seeing you here

[@brianfeddersen3528]

A wild engineer appears!

[@minepaperstudio5683]

Noice

[@TheTzeestraten]

@@AlphaPhoenixChannel It was in mine! Actually it was before my Materials 101, it was in Engineering 102, which every engineering student goes through before specialising further. I love the demo, it's so versatile and a surprisingly accurate analogue! We used different sized bubbles to simulate interstitial and substitutional impurities (kind of, interstitial doesn't work as much in 2d). We outlined grain boundaries, and observed dislocations not passing grain boundaries. All in all, a fun lab class. Steve Mould has a video doing a similar thing with ball bearings getting vibrated and simulating the annealing process.

[@BuddysDIY]

Bro. When you pulled out the bubbles it all made sense. That was nutsss

[@WhyIsJupiterInTheFridge]

Here’s your first reply, i guess.

[@SmDJeremy]

fr, i was mind blown.

[@amnelruin4837]

Sir, I am a commercial electrician. I bend aluminum tubing for a living. I don't think the information you've given me will benefit me at all in my career but you can be damn sure I'm going to think of this lesson everyday at work. And I will be telling my apprentices about dislocation to try and seem cool

[@Sqwince23]

Steve Mould brought me here. Did not disappoint. Highly recommend. Watched all your videos~

[@FrancoGrimoldi]

+1

[@philh.9618]

Me to ✌️ great channel

[@benrogers5845]

Same!

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Thanks! I'm so excited to get to share fun projects with more people!

[@MeppyMan]

Same here, from Australia. Good luck with the Nobel prize in the next year :)

[@RockinRaven96]

I've just graduated from a materials science degree and I've got to say you managed to explain dislocations better than any of my lecturers ever did, good job

[@zovisapphire]

I've been wondering for years... why is it that everything we learn in school is always so badly explained compared what you can find on youtube? There are SOOO MANY topics I've learned on KZbin in 20-100 minutes VS MONTHS in school. what is going on?

[@Mr0rris0]

@@zovisapphire tower of babyl.. book of enoch/fallen template. As God spread us out with the flood to punish a tower meant to get to the heavens we don't know what Is going on in the kitchen/is in the next cubicle... we specialize.. It's sort of like what God did but more of an embracing and hijacking what he did.. to remake and own it. No self sustain, no Renaissance men, no geniuses, no polymaths.... everyone must focus on a tree so they don't see the forest... Power and abdication of personal sovereignty. Point at a manufactured target to point at with a bought foam finger to point with. Thatsbthe power. Now go point. You get power go point.. find a witch to burn

[@Mr0rris0]

Track Indo-European languages theology philosophy religion and semiotics... What's the neurology and fractal nature of pareto distribution and matthew principal with a side of imposter peter dunning kruger syndrome

[@darknight2890]

The carpet example was brilliant. Your channel is awesome.

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Glad it made it clear - thanks for the comment!

[@NukelearFallout]

And it all ripples into effect with the object, or thing, that is causing that specific ripple. I.e., volume of the object, force applied, etc.

[@MeepMu]

I'm came from Steve Mould's channel, and i just want to say that this is one of those few channels on KZbin where the host knows enough about a subject to talk about in in depth, but in a very easy-to-understand way! Please keep up the good work!

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Thanks! That’s what I strive for - hopefully it’s informative and fun!

[@BothHands1]

i've seen this demonstration with little metal beads, but never with bubbles. it's pretty amazing how you set it up to make all the bubbles the same size

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Yeah the metal beads are awesome for showing how repulsion between atoms causes spontaneous ordering (crystallization) but they aren't sticky enough to easily get motion behavior like dislocations gliding effortlessly through. I wasn't lying when I said my jaw hit the floor when I first saw Bragg's lecture video using bubbles. It's so ludicrously cool. Also don't look too close at some of the shots if you think all of my bubbles were successfully the exact same size lol.......... It's actually pretty fun to see what crystal defects you get when you do have different sizes - you can get weird sized bubbles stuck to dislocations (or dislocations stuck to weird sized bubbles) because they relieve some of the strain associated with having an extra half-plane of atoms wedged in the crystal.

[@johnpossum556]

@@AlphaPhoenixChannel It's worthy of a second channel content of exactly how you did it.

[@BothHands1]

AlphaPhoenix that's really interesting, and probably why many metals are doped or alloyed to get a better material. just a few % carbon and you have steel instead of iron.

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Oh absolutely! You get all your dislocations pinned to impurities, and suddenly the material acts a LOT harder.

[@UltraRik]

"7:55 wants to know your location"

[@kendokaaa]

This channel reminds me of Applied Science, where videos aren't frequent but they're very good. Oh and holy crap the bubble model for crystal structures is brilliant

[@willmcconnell6008]

I think they could do a really interesting collaboration project.

[@max_kl]

Ben from Applied Science mentioned this channel on his Twitter a few days ago. It's how I found it, and I'm fascinated!

[@professionalidiot1274]

“Because hexagon, is the bestagon!”

[@zyansheep]

@Hand Grabbing Fruits it has already been declared, but you may declare it again.

[@O5MO]

But only in 2d or where third dimension doesent matter. Because perfect hexagons cant form non flat object

[@BlackSoap361]

@@O5MO take a bunch of pentagons, give a few of them an extra side. Now you have 3D shapes.

[@gary4689]

Ahh, fellow members of the order

[@andydrews9691]

Well my dad is a gon

[@morphx666]

Yep, I'ḿ here because of Steve... but man, how glad I am he mentioned your channel. This video has to be on my top 5 all time favorite YT videos! Keep up the great work.

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Wow thanks!

[@mikip3242]

For comparison, PewDiePie is now in the 2^26 button. This chanel is highly underrated, I've been here since the 2^10 button and I feel proud of it like a dad (even if I did nothing). Keep it coming!

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Thanks so much! Glad you like the channel. Long-time supporters give me the motivation to make more videos - it isn’t nothing!

[@justkarkat9575]

When Steve Mould shouted you out, and after watching one of your videos, I was certain that I was watching a channel that already must have had millions of subscribers, but when I saw your sub count I was literally shocked! I do not know how you have not hit it big yet, but heres to you doing so!

[@mrcooleh]

8 years of engineering school. Never has this ever been explained so well. Excellent job.

[@olivianeugeboren602]

I'm one of the steve mould people, ive watched a ton of your videos now and you've quickly become one of my fav channels. Such amazingly interesting stuff demonstrated so well

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

Welcome! thanks for that endorsement! I don't put out a LOT of videos, and I think that hurts me on youtube, but it means I only publish stuff I really find interesting. These dislocations here are a topic very near and dear to my heart. Dislocations are everywhere, but they really suck in electronic devices...

[@RSHastingsIV]

@@AlphaPhoenixChannel Quality over quantity matters with the type of subject matter you cover. Keep doing you, your subscribers subbed for a reason. On a side note, I'm also here from Steve's video.

[@DanHoke]

What I am loving in particular about the bubble demo versus the the steel ball demo, is that the bubbles have some give (like atomic bonds) so I feel that the resulting effect is more analogous to a crystal structure. Now if only we could think of a way to extend this model to build intuition about heat treatment of carbon steel...

[@AshharHasan07]

Very intresting because your complaint was the same as what Bragg noted in his original experiment (Bragg Raft Bubble is a good search term) - he also wanted to know hat happened when heat was applied.

[@nnate72]

KZbin homepage actually brought me to your channel and I’ve watched everything you have now. You have a fantastic talent of explaining extremely complicated subjects so simply and eloquently. Keep on producing!

[@user255]

Underrated channel. Interesting science bits from someone who actually knows what he is talking about. Beware of the fakes!

[@benrogers5845]

Came from the Steve Mould video and after watching one video I immediately watched every single other video on your channel. Literally all of them! Amazing content, you're a great educator and clearly one of the KZbin greats in your field. So glad I found the channel 👍👍

[@kevinpettigrewart1331]

I wonder if the atoms zipping around is partially the reason for why metal gets hot when bent

[@OGDragonflare]

Friction in itself yes

[@MalcolmCooks]

the atoms aren't zipping around, the dislocations between the atoms are

[@whiteeyedshadow8423]

@@MalcolmCooks yes but the atoms are similarly moving to fill the gaps left by dislocations, which is why the dislocation itself moves

[@Lunibruniful]

@@MalcolmCooks that's like saying the bottle isn't holding the water, the empty space is.

[@formdoggie5]

​@@Lunibruniful given that atoms are mostly empty space, that's actually true, too.

[@elementalsheep2672]

I only left the 2^13 comment two days ago... and he delivers! Can't wait to see this channel more.

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

I took a couple hour nap this afternoon before posting... producing a 14 minute video in 3 days isn't something I'd recommend, but it WAS a lot of fun!

[@elementalsheep2672]

@@AlphaPhoenixChannel I came back to this video once I had finished my engineering course. I wish I had remembered it earlier, the subject on metal structure and half-planes would have been so much easier!

[@Flumphinator]

I’m studying to be an architect and this has bothered me for YEARS. Thank you!

[@matgggg55]

That demo is AMAZING!!! I couldn’t believe it worked so well I thought their would be a bunch of popping when moving them around, and the contrast was excellent every detail was there!

[@williamreynolds6132]

I love when content creators help each other out. I’m sure I would have found you eventually but glad Steve mentioned you so I could start watching your videos sooner.

[@Zoidle-doo]

Great video and explanation. As a lay person, you explain complicated things very intuitively, and your passion just shines through. Love it.

[@tryAGAIN87]

Holy crap. This is literally the best physics material science video I have ever seen! Thank you!

[@harikrishnank.j.4954]

Wonderful demonstration of plastic deformation. Thanks Steve mould for bringing me here😍

[@mbunds]

Yours is my newest favorite channel; the sky is the limit as you branch out into related topics. Fascinating, thank you!

[@Chrissthepiss]

I came via Steve mould. Thanks to Steve for directing me to you and thanks to you for making very interesting viddies!

[@timhooper1557]

Your passion for science really shows in your videos Thumbs up from me! Good luck as i see a bright future !

[@skivvy3565]

As always, one of the best presentations, topics and presenters on KZbin. I cannot express how much I appreciate you explaining in a few minutes what so many years in an educational system (outdated by decades and centuries) was unable to teach to this extent. Please keep up the wonderful work

[@adrianschoenberg3938]

This is my first post on youtube in almost 10 years. Just found your channel. I'm enthralled by your energy and positive vibe, in which you really explain the topics of your videos methologically and entertaining. Please keep up the good work, you made my day.

[@jaquessiemasz8650]

New subscriber here! My jaw dropped too the whole time watching those dislocations ripple through the bubbles. I could watch that all day! >>> Suggestion for the next play button: Sintered powdered metal!... Because it sounds really cool.

[@Scanlaid]

Feel like your channel is going to be huge. Got in at the 8.5k floor, on and up boyo!

[@JosephPMcFaddenSr]

After seeing shoutout from Steve Mould I immediately became hooked on your postings Great job, thank you

[@herzogsbuick]

somehow, in the 2 or 3 years i've been watching your videos, i missed this one. those bubbles, as you put them through "tension" and "compression"...that was incredible. talk about a picture being worth a thousand words. something can maintain overall rigidity while experiencing deformation -- we know that's true, but seeing it happen, man just those concepts, rigid as they may be in our heads, are malleable too. thank you for this.

[@lithostheory]

This is an awesome demonstration! Great video :^D

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

On of my absolute favorites, and to explain dislocations, a topic very near and dear to my heart because of my lab work! Such fun!

[@specific_pseudonym]

Oh hell yes I am making one of those bubble bath things. My niece is gonna freak out when she sees the ripples.

[@dominiquecamacho9668]

First time I have ever commented about a video in my life, but I love learning and the way you broke it down with comparisons, visuals,and reasoning was strength up.. gangsta.

[@costynvd]

The compression and tension demo with the bubbles is so cool! I feel enlightened. Thank you!

[@YouCanHasAccount]

Please make a follow up video on how this relates to elastic deformation, plastic deformation and metal fatigue. Different things must be going on with the crystal structure in those 3 instances ...

[@MatSciStudent]

Great job explaining this demo, and dislocations in general! Tiny nitpick because you seem to enjoy corrections: I believe the 2D bubble lattice would just be "hexagonal" since the hexagonal lattice is necessarily close-packed in 2 dimensions.

[@nikostsatsis9478]

Why is it necessarly close packed

[@QuantumGravy]

I’ve been binging all your videos, you use the best examples I’ve seen across all of KZbin! It’s so intuitive, absolutely love the stuff you’ve made. Seeing your process (including the ‘failures’) teaches so much

[@kilianmosimann2958]

What makes this demonstration even better than steel balls is the adhesive behaviour between the bubbles. The dynamic deformation was the most accurate one I have ever seen in a model! Great video

[@bukachell]

Scientists: metal shouldn't bend *Me who just bent my spoon while eating*

[@cliftut]

Uri Geller wants to know your location.

[@nonchip]

"last time we used an electron microscope to build a play button out of individual atoms, so let's poke at some foil now" :D

[@cliftut]

And visualize the atoms with bubbles.

[@spikeck2]

That bubble demo is an amazing tool for getting your head around the idea. Thanks for bringing it to everyone's attention.

[@Jeffrey_Wong]

This blew my mind. Thank you for making such high-quality content freely available on the internet for anyone to enjoy.

[@JesusFreke]

Achievement unlocked: watched the video about 2^13 subs when the video had 2^8 views

[@AlphaPhoenixChannel]

PoWeRsOfTwO!!!!! yeah I spend too much time with computer numbers...

[@AdityaXingh]

Most underrated channel I ever came across,

[@zahrakruk2597]

Gosh, that visual representation using the bubbles is brilliant. Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@johndewey6405]

This is literally the best explanation of dislocation on metal I have ever seen. Really capture what every textbook on material trying to convey

[@farkstein1213]

hexagons.. are the bestagons

[@beefgoat80]

I randomly came across your video on detecting leaks in vacuum chambers and liked the video. So I decided to subscribe. This is the second video of yours I've watched, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The bubble raft demo was, IMO, top notch. Keep up the good work.

[@vikram.pandya]

As a educator myself, I really loved the practical demonstrations along with crisp explanation.

[@RaggedyHead]

Tbh I am glad the Steve shouted you out. I wouldnt have discovered this passionate dude that provides great content, keep on doing great!

[@raulrodrigues9084]

Godspeed my dude, you make some great content and the enthusiasm and energy you show through these videos is amazing. Thank you so much!

[@Zscach]

One of the best videos on youtube. I noticed this kind of deformation when bending soft aluminium tubes as a kid- suuper trippy to look at up close.

[@doctorbobstone]

That really is a great demo. Seeing all the dislocations zip through the raft is really neat. It's funny how great demos can make such an impression. One I loved from school was using a tilted sandbox to model river erosion. Seeing the right demo (or better getting to play with it yourself) can really make the concepts make so much sense.

[@dennisdecoene]

This, is the best video on KZbin. It made so much sense and was so satisfying to watch those ripples.

[@pedroaboffa]

your channel is amazing man.. keep it up..u tend to explain things dif than other and that makes it amazing!!

[@Jack-vq9we]

That's so cool! You can literally see the hole in the material propagate through, it makes so much more sense now. Nice video man.

[@daveinwla6360]

Beautiful illustration of crystalline dislocation! I once worked as a technician in a metal fatigue lab, and it was dislocations piling up as they ran into each other due to stress-induced layer shifting that caused the metal weakening known as "fatigue". Seeing it illustrated with bubbles is very helpful to understanding the phenomenon.

[@didiwin78]

The bubble demonstration is beautiful, how I went through so much school around engineering and machines and never heard of this particular demonstration is beyond me.

[@anchietacruz]

Wow, my jaw dropped. Fascinating demo. Never thought that away about metal deformation and crystalline structures.

[@btg837]

Amazing video! What a fantastic demonstration of the second week of Metallurgy 201! So glad I found your channel!

[@addol95]

I'm here via the algorithm. Love your energy and enthusiasm when discussing these concepts! Great use of visual examples.

[@TheZizybalooba]

im a senior manufacturing engineering student. Did not know of your channel but after getting far enough to see that you are making a 2^13 subscriber play button im subbed haha. Love this demonstration and MAN would it have saved me some grief in material science class. Keep being cool!

[@Night_Hawk_475]

Oh my god, that bubble raft demo is so beautiful and just ... perfect. Thank you so much for presenting this! It's helped explain so well, the rest of the video is really great too! Gratz on the subscribers, I'm subbing right now too!

[@vovaisonline]

first time seeing this demo and it looks amazing the visual effect is mind blowing very nice done!!

[@aonomus]

That is such an elegant and accessible way to demo crystal deformations and behaviour for teaching!

[@Azegreen]

Wow this is a phenomenal visual aid on understanding crystal structure! Plane, but very intricate! So many years of materials science classes closely packed into one!

[@cmtlee]

Been a material engineer for so long but I have never seen any better demonstration like this before, absolutely love it

[@curiousniffler6364]

I really like how you show that science isn't always perfect, actually that it can be annoying and a bit messy some times! Great work!

[@kagensepoe8687]

I absolutely love this demo and it’s one of the best and one of the easiest to understand that I’ve ever watched.

[@ivelsuop9104]

Amazing video! Truly amazing. So glad you have almost 2^18 now!

[@FrancoGrimoldi]

Have a happy 2^13! GREAT video, thanks!

[@JMMC1005]

This channel deserves far more subs. Really cool demo, and well-explained.

[@kreiseltower]

I've never seen such a good demonstration of this! Awesome, thanks a lot!

[@CyanStudios24]

That bubble demo was incredible. Great explaination - I understand this concept a lot more now

[@HexCopper]

Honestly I absolutely LOVE this video. I myself am a chemistry major but unfortunately in my inorganic chemistry classes my professors glossed over crystal structures but this is amazing I never thought of the specific atomic level actions for tension and ductility.

[@justmehere_]

randomly came up on my recommended I think I just found the best and most underrated science KZbinr, this was so interesting to watch!

[@conord827]

Its awesome watching your channel explode! The content is so good and interesting!

[@MrMikkmokk]

Dude.. Why have I not seen this before? I've taken several university courses in material science but I've never seen anything this intuitive. Keep up the good work! Your content is really great and also rather unique!

[@hayleecrow9593]

I've found a new favorite science channel. Very easy to follow and comprehend if you have the basic ideas down and it's fun to watch :)

[@trombonebone17456343]

Steve fella here, just wanted to thank you for the videos. They are all very entertaining and informative. Looking forward to the water crystal!

[@jimjimmy3131]

Answering to questions i never thought I had....that sir is how you make science interesting . Hope to seeing more of these awesome videos.

[@MD-bf2ce]

I can't help but think of this in a metaphysical sense as well. Great video

[@staticrealm61]

Superb job! That bubble experiment looks like so much fun to play with!

[@GodlikeIridium]

This demo is so beautiful! And a great way to explain metallic bonds. Metals are easily deformable because there are no fixed bonds like in organic molecules or ionic bonds, instead the electrons are pretty much a cloud around the metal cores. Which is also the reason why they easily conduct electricity.

[@Golinth]

Found this channel today, glad I did. The bubble demonstration blew my mind

[@davidcaroe9234]

Really enjoy your videos! Jumped in surprise when you mentioned Bragg as he's my great great uncle, never thought he would have used bubbles like this.

[@tomc.5704]

Found you after your speed of electricity demonstration / response video You're explanations are fantastic! I'm off to look for a playlist of the other 16 play buttons :)

[@jamesgreen4522]

As an old man that has always loved science and engineering I love this new channel I have found. THANK YOU

[@jickhertz4124]

It was so cool to see the dislocations moving! Thank you!

[@ra1nmaker001]

Your channel is great! I extend my motivation to you to keep making awesome videos! I joined because of Steve's shoutout and it was a great find :)

[@sleal1194]

First time watcher! I got to say this was very interesting and cool to see and learning about this. Grate work!

[@MrSaemichlaus]

Wonderful! I shared this with my prof. Top shelf demo material.

[@Ha1ivan]

I’m surprised that I don’t see stuff this good on KZbin let alone a whole channel that makes cool demos like this one. Keep up the cool content!!!

[@warriorfandude]

Amazing video, fantastic explanation, brought down to, and subsequently elevated above the layman level. The only sad part of this video is that Alpha isn't at 2^14 subs yet.