Flash Welding

Flash welding is where a sheet of metal, known as a tile, self welds over another piece of metal. The tiles are made mostly of iron oxide and carbon but contain reactants that when triggered, change its chemical makeup. In their preuse form they can be easily shaved to be shaped to fit an area, but are tough enough and safe enough to be handled by a naked hand. The tiles come in various surface sizes and about 3mm think, but they can be stacked and used in more substantial blocks. They can adhere to a surface before the weld, either by atmospheric pressure, or through an induced magnetic field using an application tool. You definitely don't want to be holding one in place when the weld is initiated by a small electrical detonator.

The electrical detonator triggers a chemical reaction that heats up enough to melt all the metal in the patch and any metal touching the patch. The carbon mesh hardens in heat and stops the metal losing its shape, so when it cools it has welded itself, as newly formed blast steal, to the metal it was contacting.

When a spaceship gets a hole in it, it needs patching, and quite often it needs patching as soon as possible. Sometimes you might even only have seconds as atmosphere is leaking from the room. Flash welding was invented for this purpose and most ships will keep 'patches' on hand in habitat areas. When used, the tiles are called patches as they are only meant to be temporary, although they are sturdy welds and tougher per mm than an actual civilian hull, so many Belters don't bother replacing and rebuilding patched parts of the hull.

To successfully patch a hole, they need to be placed over the hole, in contact with metal on all surface area. They do generate a lot of heat and a few gasses, but most atmo scrubbers will easily clean the air.

Atmosphere Bombs

Flash Welding technology was modified into atmosphere bombs, that when triggered will flood a 1m cubed space with 1 atmosphere of pressure consisting of oxygen and carbon dioxide in breathable quantities.

Writers Note

This is Fi-Sics that I have invented and does not exist in reality.