Hydraulic Press Videos – Can a Hydraulic Press Crush a Diamond?

Hydraulic press videos are a wildly popular Internet trend. They demonstrate various objects being crushed in a hydraulic press and often garner millions of views.

The Hydraulic Press Channel's latest video is one you won't want to miss. It showcases a 1.2 carat diamond being crushed using a hydraulic press.

Hardness

Diamond is an extremely hard mineral, measured using the Mohs scale formulated in 1812 by German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs.

Its tetrahedral crystal structure gives it exceptional strength and resilience to compression. Its carbon atoms form what is known as a covalent bond, which is the strongest type of atomic bond.

Diamond's crystal structure also determines its physical characteristics, such as high hardness, thermal conductivity and crystalline form. These unique traits make it an ideal material for a range of uses.

Diamond is a hard material, yet still vulnerable to scratches and damage from impact or sudden temperature changes. This occurs due to thermal shock - when sudden temperature differences cause some parts of the stone to move faster than others.

Toughness

Diamonds are incredibly hard and durable, but that doesn't guarantee indestructibility. They can crack, chip, or scratch due to various factors like heat or pressure.

This means that when wearing a diamond, it should never be exposed to extreme heat or high pressure for extended periods. Indeed, wearing diamond jewelry in the swimming pool is actually not recommended!

The toughness of a mineral is determined by the strength of its bonds between atoms. That is why some minerals are harder than others - sapphires (hardness 9) and rubies (hardness 10), for instance, can scratch other gemstones that have weaker bonds.

Density

A hydraulic press can crush many things, but it won't crush a diamond. So the Hydraulic Press Channel, known for its powerful force of destruction, decided to test what happens when they try and squeeze one into their machine.

Density, also referred to as specific gravity, is a method for estimating something's weight by measuring its mass in grams per cubic centimeter (gcm3) or milliliters of liquid. Water has an average density of 4.20g/mL while diamonds have an average density of 3.52 g/mL depending on trace elements and inclusions present within them.

Diamonds consist of an infinite array of carbon atoms joined together by strong covalent bonds. This structure is much more compact than graphite, which has a sheet-like arrangement of carbon atoms. Diamonds possess more density than graphite due to the delocalized electrons involved.

Pressure

Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material on Earth, making it incredibly durable. Unfortunately, that hardness does not guarantee uncrushability.

Hydraulic presses have the unique capacity to crush objects through pressure alone. Utilizing Pascal's law, they use difference in pressure between two fluids as their driving force.

Pressure is transmitted undiminished throughout a confined fluid, creating an equal force at each point of compression within it. By manipulating pressure controls, one can increase or decrease it tenfold to maintain consistent levels across all points within that column.