What is the ability of a material to absorb energy and deform plastically without fracturing called?

The ability of a material to absorb energy and undergo plastic deformation without fracturing is known as toughness. Toughness is a crucial property in materials science, especially for engineering applications, as it indicates a material’s capacity to withstand impact and stress without breaking. It reflects a combination of strength and ductility; a tough material can deform considerably before failure, which is vital in structures that must endure dynamic loads or impact forces.

For instance, materials with high toughness, like certain steels, can absorb substantial amounts of energy during deformation, which is beneficial in safety-critical applications such as structural components in buildings and bridges. This property is significant because it helps to prevent catastrophic failure under unexpected loads.

In contrast, resilience refers to a material’s ability to absorb energy when it is deformed elastically and then return to its original shape. Elasticity involves a material’s ability to return to its original form after the applied stress is removed, without permanent deformation, which is different from toughness. Ductility, on the other hand, is a measure of how much a material can deform plastically before fracturing, but it doesn’t encompass the energy absorption aspect to the same extent as toughness does.