Mechanical properties refer to the properties of a material that affect its reaction to applied loads. These properties are important in determining how a material would behave in a given application and are helpful during the material selection and coating specification process. Some of the most common mechanical properties include:
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Strength: The property of a material that opposes the deformation or breakdown of material in the presence of external forces or load.
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Toughness: The ability of a material to absorb energy and get plastically deformed without fracturing.
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Hardness: The property of a material that enables it to resist deformation, indentation, or scratching.
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Ductility: The property of a solid material that indicates how easily it gets deformed under tensile stress.
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Elasticity: The property of a material that enables it to return to its original state after a given load or pressure is removed.
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Stiffness: The ability of a material to resist deformation under stress.
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Plasticity: The ability of a material to undergo plastic deformation before breaking.
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Creep: The tendency of a material to deform permanently under stress over time.
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Fatigue: The tendency of a material to fail under repeated cyclic loading.
Mechanical properties are used to determine how a material would behave in a given application and are helpful during the material selection and coating specification process. Mechanical engineers can measure the ability of a metal to resist shearing, stretching, twisting, compressing, or breaking under a given set of conditions.
