If you touch two CLEAN blocks of the same metal together in space, they weld! Atoms in solid metals move a bit. Touch two clean surfaces together, and the atoms can't tell they're in different blocks so they become one group of atoms, ie ONE SOLID. (Gif: https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/cold-welding-gif-56268 …)pic.twitter.com/WAfv3VwhnX
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All of this stuff is on a spectrum, too -- like if you have two clean smooth surfaces of just regular stainless steel, the oxidation layer won't prevent it from cold-welding in atmosphere if you put it under enough pressure
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Like when metal under pressure sticks to itself but not to the degree of true "cold-welding" it's called "galling" and is a significant problem for engineers
End of conversation
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