Mechanical Properties

Question 1

Strength

Answer 1

The ability to withstand force without breaking or permanently bending.

Question 2

Bending Strength

Answer 2

The ability to remain rigid and withstand deformation when subject to a force.

Question 3

Compressive Strength

Answer 3

The ability to withstand pushing forces which attempt to crush or shorten the material.

Question 4

Tensile Strength

Answer 4

The ability to resist stretching or pulling forces.

In terms of Physics= the amount of energy required to bend a material.

Question 5

Shear Strength

Answer 5

The ability to resist sliding forces acting against each other.
E.g. when cut with scissors, guillotine, garden SHEARS (cutting equiptment)

Question 6

Torsional Strength

Answer 6

The ability to withstand twisting forces under tension or torque (twisting force). E.g. when a spanner twists a bolt in.

Question 7

Plasticity

Answer 7

The ability to be permanently changed in shape by an external force without cracking. E.g. hammer blows or pressure.

Question 8

Malleability

Answer 8

The ability to be formed (worked, hammered, stretched, shaped, rolled) with the application of force.
Malleability increases with a rise in temp.
E.g. in injection moulding, blow moulding etc. (Forcing a material) (with heat).

Question 9

Ductility

Answer 9

The ability to be drawn out/ stretched before cracking.
Decreases with temperature, so the materials with higher ductility are weaker at higher temps.
Normally done at room temp.

Question 10

Elasticity

Answer 10

The ability to flex and bend when a force is applied and regain original/normal shape when force is removed.

Question 11

Impact Resistance

Answer 11

The ability to withstand sudden impact without fracture.

Can also refer to the ability to withstand bending- opposite would be brittle.

Question 12

Hardness

Answer 12

The ability to withstand abrasive wear (scratches) and indentation.

Question 13

Durability

Answer 13

The ability to withstand wear and tear, weathering and the deterioration or corrosion this may cause.
Weathering can cause an aesthetic change and also mechanical weakening.

Question 14

Fatigue Resistance

Answer 14

The ability to withstand alternating stresses over a long period of time without fracture. (E.g. a living hinge)

Question 15

Stiffness

Answer 15

The rigidity of an object- the extent to which it resists deformation in response to an applied force.
The opposite is flexibility or pliability (the more flexible an object is, the less stiff it is).

Question 16

Rigidity

Answer 16

The ability for a material to resist bending, stretching, twisting or other deformation under a load.