Strength and Strengthening Mechanisms in Materials

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to the mechanics of materials, particularly regarding strength and ways to enhance it.

Ductility

The ability of a material to undergo significant plastic deformation before rupture.

Yield Strength (σy)

The stress at which a material begins to deform plastically.

Tensile Strength

The maximum stress a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before failing.

Dislocation

An imperfection in the crystal structure of a material that enables plastic deformation.

Vacancy

A type of point defect where an atom is missing from its lattice site.

Solute Atoms

Atoms that occupy positions in a crystal lattice, replacing or occupying interstitial spaces.

Grain Boundaries

The interfaces where crystals of different orientations meet in a material.

Strengthening Mechanism

Processes by which the strength of a material can be increased.

Work Hardening

The process of strengthening a material by plastic deformation.

Solution Hardening

The strengthening of a metal by adding solute elements that distort the lattice structure.

Dispersion Strengthening

The process of adding small, hard particles to a metal to improve strength.

Plastic Deformation

The permanent change in shape of a material under applied stress.

Stress-Strain Curve

A graphical representation of a material's mechanical properties under stress.

Grain Size (D)

The average size of the individual grains in a material, influencing its mechanical properties.

Tensile Test

A method of measuring the tensile strength of materials by applying a controlled load.