Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new model to study how amorphous materials like concrete withstand stress. Their model simulates materials as spheres of varying stiffness, revealing that areas of differing hardness interact in ways that influence how stress is transmitted through the material, forming what are known as “force chains.” Their findings suggest that the distribution of stiffness within a material significantly affects its overall hardness, providing insights into designing more resilient materials. For more details, you can read the full article on EurekAlert: