Which of the following properties indicates a material’s capacity to undergo permanent deformation under applied stress without fracturing?

The property that indicates a material’s capacity to undergo permanent deformation under applied stress without fracturing is ductility. Ductility refers specifically to the ability of a material to deform plastically before fracturing, which allows it to stretch or elongate under tensile forces. This characteristic is particularly important in materials like metals, which often need to absorb impacts or undergo significant deformations in applications such as construction and manufacturing.

When a ductile material is stressed, it can yield and change shape, absorbing energy in the process. This behavior is critical in structural engineering, where materials must maintain integrity and safety under load. If a material has high ductility, it can undergo significant changes in shape without breaking, making it ideal for forming shapes and structures that are not only functional but also safe.

In contrast, toughness measures a material's ability to absorb energy and plastically deform before fracturing, which includes both ductility and strength. Resilience measures the ability of a material to absorb energy when it is elastically deformed and then release that energy upon unloading, while elasticity defines the ability of a material to return to its original shape after the stress is removed. These properties relate to different aspects of a material's performance under load, but ductility specifically addresses the