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toughness

toughness

1 4.7
Ability of a material like metal to take a strong hit without breaking
  • noun
  • /ˈtʌf.nəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tenacidad
  • Materials with increased fracture toughness and improvements in processing have eased the challenge.
  • fracture toughness
  • flexural toughness
  • flexure toughness

Examples

  • Oxygen causes the material to become brittle, reducing toughness and strength, so manufacturers now avoid any sterilizing in air.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Furthermore, the presence of fibers, unfortunately, degrades the toughness of the metal somewhat.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Generally, the toughness characterizes the energy-absorbing capacity of the material.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Today's composites tap just a fraction of nanotubes' potential strength, stiffness, toughness, and low mass.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The inclusion of steel fibers significantly improved the fracture parameters and the fracture toughness of UHPC.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Toughness of thermosetting resins is generally characterized by impact strength and fracture toughness (K_IC) 52.

    Academic text (2018)
  • The experimental testing included measuring the compressive strength, drying shrinkage, flexural strength and toughness, and the fracture mechanics of UHPC.

    Academic text (2016)
  • The engineers tested the material's toughness to ensure it could withstand heavy impact without breaking.

  • Metal alloys often exhibit greater toughness when they are carefully processed and treated.

  • The scientist measured the toughness of various metals to find the best one for the construction project.

Synonyms

temper
vstoughness
  • Specialized
2 7.9

How hard and flexible a piece of metal is

is the material ability to absorb energy and resist fracturing

Antonyms

17 5.2

Something that is easy to break or damage, like glass

1 5.4

Hard and breaks easily, like glass

How Tough

durability
22 3.8
toughness
  • Specialized
1 4.7
brittleness
1 5.4

Surface Forms

toughness singular
toughnesses plural

Morphology

toughness = tough (transparent) = tough + ness

The word 'toughness' is transparently derived from 'tough' by adding the suffix '-ness', indicating the state or quality of being tough.

Etymology

Toughness comes from tough plus -ness, with tough meaning 'strong' and 'hard to break'. So in materials the word describes the ability to 'soak up energy' and resist cracking, which is why engineers test a metal's toughness.