Toughness

Toughness is a material's ability to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing. It is defined as the amount of energy per volume that a material can absorb before rupturing. It is also characterized by the ability to withstand impact forces. Toughness requires a balance of strength and ductility.

Mechanical Toughness

Mechanical toughness is a measure of how much energy a material can absorb before breaking. It is an important factor in many applications, such as in the design of structures and materials that must withstand impact or sudden applied loads. Mechanical toughness is often measured by the Charpy test or the Izod test. Both of these tests use a notched sample of the material, and the toughness is measured by the energy absorbed in breaking the sample with a single impact blow.

Fracture Toughness

Fracture toughness is a property which describes the ability of a material containing a crack to resist fracture, and is one of the most important properties of any material for virtually all design applications. It is denoted KIC and is measured in units of megapascal square root meter (MPa√m) in SI units or ksi√in in U.S. customary units.

Factors Affecting Toughness

Several factors can affect the toughness of a material. These include temperature, strain rate, and microstructure. For example, increasing the temperature can increase the toughness of a material, as it allows for more plastic deformation before fracture. Similarly, a higher strain rate can also increase toughness, as it gives the material less time to undergo brittle fracture. The microstructure of a material, including the grain size and the presence of any defects or inclusions, can also significantly affect its toughness.

See Also

• Strength of materials
• Material science
• Fracture mechanics
• Ductility
• Hardness

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