Elastic Properties of Solids

Deformation

Often described in terms of strain, it is a change in shape due to an applied force.

Elastic modulus

The slope of its stress-strain curve in the elastic deformation region, the elastic modulus describes an object's tendency to be deformed elastically under load.

Yield

The yield point of a material is the stress at which a material begins to plastically deform.

Elasticity

a branch of physics which studies the properties of materials which deforms under stress, but then return to their original shape when the stress is removed.

Stress-strain curve

a graph derived from measuring load versus extension for a sample of a material.

Stress

a measure of force per unit area within a body. It is a body's internal distribution of force per area that reacts to external applied loads.

Young's modulus

a measure of the stiffness of a given material, also known as the tensile modulus.

Plasticity

a property of a material to undergo a non-reversible change of shape in response to an applied force.

Hysteresis

a property of systems that do not instantly react to the forces applied to them, but react slowly, or do not return completely to their original state.

Fracture toughness

a property which describes the ability of a material containing a crack to resist fracture.

Shear strain

a strain that acts parallel to the face of a material that it is acting on.

Shear stress

a stress state where the stress is parallel or tangential to a face of the material.

Viscoelasticity

also known as anelasticity, describes materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing plastic deformation.

Hooke's law

an approximation that states that the amount by which a material body is deformed is linearly related to the force causing the deformation.

Rigid body

an idealization of a solid body of finite size in which deformation is neglected.

Shear modulus

defined as the ratio of shear stress to the shear strain.

Bulk modulus

of a substance essentially measures the substance's resistance to uniform compression.

Tensile stress

or tension, is the stress state leading to expansion.

Normal strain

produce dilations without a shape-change as such.

Normal stress

stress that acts perpendicular to the face of the material, a compression or a tension.

Strain

the geometrical expression of deformation caused by the action of stress on a physical body.

Ductility

the mechanical property of being capable of sustaining large plastic deformations due to tensile stress without fracture.

Stiffness

the resistance of an elastic body to deflection or deformation by an applied force.

Toughness

the resistance to fracture of a material when stressed, defined as the amount of energy that a material can absorb before rupturing.

Rheology

the study of the deformation and flow of matter under the influence of an applied stress.