Key Terms: Chapter 9

brittle Term used to describe materials that are unable to absorb energy by "bending" but
instead fracture (break into pieces) when subjected to external loads. For example, the
glass in a car window is brittle, while the metal or plastic bumper is not. More precisely,
brittle materials exhibit a low failure strain.
ductile Term used to describe materials that are able to absorb energy by "bending"
rather than by fracture (breaking into pieces) when subjected to external loads. For
example, the metal or plastic bumper on a car is ductile, while the glass in a car window
is not. More precisely, ductile materials exhibit a high failure strain.
ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) The temperature at which 50% of
the fracture surface in a Charpy specimen shows crystallographic facets. Alternatively, it
is the temperature corresponding to the midpoint between the lower and upper shelf
energies in a Charpy test.
elastic deformation Deformation that is recoverable when a load is removed. This
means that the part will return to its original size when the load is removed. Deformation
of a rubber band is typically elastic.
elastic limit The stress beyond which there is permanent deformation. Below the elastic
limit all the deformation is recovered when the load is removed. elastomer A rubber that
has been imparted a memory, usually by crosslinking or incorporation of a hard segment,
so that up to about 600% extension the polymer recovers substantially completely. Only
polymers can be elastomers.
endurance limit S
e
The value of the stress amplitude
in fatigue below which failure will not occur regardless of the number of repeated load
applications.
engineering strain The change in length of a specimen or component divided by the
original length.
engineering strain at fracture
f
The value of the strain when failure occurs.
stress - The load divided by the original cross-sectional area normal to the applied
load.
flow stress - Stress required to continue plastic deformation. The stress at which plastic
deformation first occurs is a specific value of the flow stress and is referred to as the yield
stress.
fracture toughness The property of a material that has to do with its ability to absorb
energy before fracturing. If a material can absorb much energy it is said to have high
fracture toughness. It is also common to refer to the value of the stress intensity
parameter at which fracture occurs as the fracture toughness.
hardness Ability of a material to resist penetration. A material is said to be hard if large
forces are required to cause a permanent indentation mark.
Larsen-Miller parameter A parameter employed in the analysis of creep. It may be
used at a given stress to determine how long the part will last at a given temperature or to
determine the maximum allowable temperature for fixed time duration.
0.2% offset yield strength The stress at which a line starting at 0.2% on the strain axis
and drawn parallel to the initial elastic portion of a stress-strain curve intersects the
stress-strain curve. This is the conventional yield strength for materials that do not
exhibit a "sharp" transition from elastic to plastic behavior.
percent reduction in area (%RA) - The change in area divided by the original area
(expressed in percent) of a tensile specimen that has been fractured.
plastic deformation Deformation that is permanent, for example, a metal part that has
been permanently bent is said to have undergone plastic deformation.
Poisson's ratio v The negative ratio of the transverse strain divided by the longitudinal
strain in a tensile test.
shear modulus G The slope of the shear stress versus
shear strain curve in the elastic region.
strain hardening Hardening that occurs as a result of deforming a metal. During strain
hardening, dislocations are generated and the high dislocation density makes it difficult
for other dislocations to move.
striations Parallel ridges that are seen on the surfaces of many fatigue failures at high
magnifications. In some cases one striation forms for each fatigue cycle.
stress relaxation Reduction in stress that occurs when a component is subjected to a
constant value of strain. Typically polymers and metals at relatively high temperatures
exhibit stress relaxation.
true strain
t
The natural logarithm of the instantaneous length divided by the original
length. Numerically, it is essentially equivalent to the engineering strain for strains up to
about 0.1.
true stress
t
The force divided by the instantaneous area normal to the applied force.
ultimate tensile strength
uts
The maximum value of the engineering stress in a tensile
test.
uniform strain
u
The strain in a specimen that occurs before reaching the ultimate
tensile strength. Deformation up to this point is uniformly distributed throughout the gage
section so the strain is also uniform. unit cell The smallest representation of a material. In
crystals the unit cell is the smallest patterned collection of atoms or ions that repeats in
space.