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Why do some materials become softer when compressed?
Although scientists understand how many materials behave, they often come across examples that surprise them. One example is silica glass, which researchers have long known becomes softer when compressed.
The e-Minerals team only came to understand this counter-intuitive behaviour by running a large number of simulations helped with grid computing tools. They found that the softening occurs because the inherent flexibility of the glass structure reduces when the sample is either stretched or compressed. This mechanism occurs in a wide range of rock-forming materials.
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