The story of the creation method of assessing damage of steels on the basis of mechanical spectroscopy

Against the background of the formation and development of one of the promising methods of physical materials science – mechanical spectroscopy - the history of the discovery of Tula metal physicists N.N. Sergeev and V.S. Ageev previously unknown effect of inelastic behavior of steels. Their first attempt of theoretical description of the mechanism of its formation is described. Set out the further fate of the detected effect in the interplay with the lives of its researchers. The history of the renovation of the forgotten for almost 30 years of discovery is proposed. A multi-faceted program of large-scale study of the mechanism of undeservedly forgotten effect, implemented in decades by the followers of the pioneers, is presented in detail. Disputes with skeptics are described. The main alternative ideas as the reasons of scientific disputes around the nature of effect are stated. Answers to critical questions are given, which allowed the authors to convince skeptics of the reality of the discovered phenomenon and to create a new direction in the study of steels and alloys – a method of assessing their damage by the results of mechanical spectroscopy. The examples of industrial application of the created direction are described. The areas of application of the method of application of the complex of inelastic effects developed by the authors on the basis of the revived method for a multi-scale description of structural changes in steels and alloys in the course of external destructive effects of different nature are listed. New ways of development and improvement of the method proposed by the authors in the study of products obtained both by standard ingot technology and in the conditions of additive 3D printing technologies are described.