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Material Properties

There are a variety of terms that can be used to describe a material.

Hard - Can scratch or indent, and withstands being scratched

Brittle - Breaks without plastic deformation

Ductile - Can be drawn into a wire

Malleable - Can be reshaped

Elastic - Returns to its original shape after being deformed

Plastic - Does not return to its original shape after being deformed

Strong - Widthstands large static loads without breaking

Tough - Withstands large dynamic loads without breaking

Stiff - Resists deforming by tension or compression

Strong materials can withstand large static loads whilst tough materials can withstand large dynamic loads.

Tensile Strength is the force that is used to stretch a sample at any time while the Ultimate Tensile Strength is the force required to break it.

Static loads are loads that exert a constant amount of force, while dynamic loads exert varying amounts of force upon the structure that is upholding them. A simple example of a static load is the weight of a bridge span upon the bridge pilings holding it aloft. A truck moving across that same bridge span would be exerting a dynamic load on the pilings.