Mechanical Properties of Common Engineering Materials

What are mechanical properties of engineering materials?

Mechanical properties are physical properties that a material exhibits upon the application of forces. In this article we will understand (in brief) mechanical properties of common engineering materials.

• Creep

When a body is subjected to a constant load over a long period of time, it undergoes a slow permanent deformation. This permanent deformation is known as creep.

• Toughness

Toughness is the mechanical property which enables to be twisted, bent or stretched under impact load or high stress before rupture.

• Resilience

Resilience is the property of material that enables it to resist shock and impact by storing energy.

• Ductility

Ductility is the property of the material that enables it to be drawn out or elongated to an appreciable extent before rupture occurs.

• Malleability

Malleability is a special case of ductility where the material can be rolled into thin sheets but it is not necessary to be strong.

• Brittleness

Brittleness is opposite to ductility. Brittle materials show little or no deformation before failure and fracture occurs suddenly without warning.

• Hardness

Hardness is a property of the material which enables it to resist permanent deformation, penetration, indentation etc.

• Plasticity

Plasticity is associated with the permanent deformation of material when the stress level exceeds yield point. Under plastic conditions material ideally deforms without any increase in stress.

• Elasticity

Elasticity is the property of a material to regain its original shape after deformation when the external forces are removed. 

• Strength

Ability of a material to withstand a particular load is known as strength. It has four types yield strength, compressive strength, tensile strength and compressive strength.

• Elastic strain

It is the change in dimension of a material due to application of an external load. This changes nullifies on the removal of that particular load.

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