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What Causes Razor Blades to Dull

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
To get to the bottom of dull blades, the researchers used microscopes to examine sharp blades as they sliced through material like hair. What they found was that certain conditions — like the hair being bent at a certain angle when it’s being cut into — are far more likely to lead to chipping of the edge of the blade, causing it to dull more rapidly than would otherwise be the case.


This kind of cutting motion is common in shaving, as modern razors tend to push the hairs to one side before the blades can come into contact with them. If cut perfectly straight-on, the blade does much better, but when the hairs were cut at an angle, the microstructures along the edge of the blade experienced far more stress, speeding up the dulling process.


Additionally, the team found that when the tiny structures on the edge of the blade which are more flexible, or “compliant,” do the bulk of the cutting, the blade dulls faster. This is in contrast to when the more rigid structures do the slicing. The researchers suggest that modifications could be made to make the edges of razors more resilient and that razors that last much longer could be made.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
It found that, under the right conditions, a hair can produce tiny chips in the blade. That was unexpected, says Cemal Cem Tasan, a professor of metallurgy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

This doesn't surprise me as I've been doing cabinetmaking as a hobby for 50 years. The chisel only stays sharp for a limited amount of time before I have to go back to the stone.

Razors are so much cheaper than chisels that I use them for 12 passes and then toss them.
 
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