Ductility

Edited by Nallammai Kannan (Fall 2017)

The Main Idea

Ductility is a solids ability to deform under tensile stress. It is similar to malleability, which characterizes a materials ability to deform under an applied stress. Both of these are plastic properties of materials. While they are often similar, sometimes a materials ductility is independent from its malleability[1]. Ductility is the percentage of plastic deformation right before fracture, where plastic deformation means permanent deformation or change in shape of a solid body without fracture under the action of a sustained force[10]. Materials with low ductility are defined as brittle. Materials with metallic bonds have much higher ductility due to the mobile electrons that tend to deform, rather than fracture. Therefore, the most common ductile materials are steel, copper, gold and aluminum. Ductility is an important property in material science and metal-working industries, where solids are deformed and molded with outside forces. Ductile materials can absorb a large amount of energy before they start to show signs of deformation, whereas brittle materials tend to show deformations and cracks relatively easily.[8]

Fig. 1- Highly brittle fracture

Fig. 2- Semi-ductile fracture

Environmental factors can also affect the ductility of a material. A temperature increase causes a material to stretch, and thus increases ductility. A temperature decreases leads to brittle and fragile behavior of the material and as such decreases ductility. Generally, low temperatures adversely affect the tensile toughness of many metals. Similarly, pressure can be used to control ductile-brittle effects. Sufficiently large superimposed pressure can convert a generally brittle material into a ductile material.[11]

Metals like aluminum, gold, silver, and copper have a face-centered cubic crystal lattice structure, and most do not experience a shift from ductile to brittle behavior. Other metals, like iron, chromium, and tungsten, have a body-centered cubic crystal structure and experience a sharp shift in ductility. [7]

The Ductile - Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT) is the temperature at which the fracture energy passes below a predetermined value (typically 40 J) or the point at which the material absorbs 15 ft*lb of impact energy during fracture[7]. The Ductile - Brittle Transition Temperature is an important consideration when determining which material to select, when said material is subjected to mechanical stresses (as shown at https://www.doitpoms.ac.uk/tlplib/BD6/images/graph0.gif). A low DBTT is integral for designs which will need to function in low temperatures [7].

The Ductile to Brittle Transition can also occur when dislocation motion occurs. Dislocation is defined as areas where the atoms are out of position in the crystal structure[12]. The stress required to move a dislocation depends on the atomic bonding, crystal structure, and obstacles. If the stress required to move the dislocation is too high, the metal will fail instead and form cracks or other deformations instead and the failure will be brittle[6].

A Mathematical Model

Mathematically, ductility can be defined as the fracture strain, or the tensile strain along one axis that causes a fracture to occur. Fractures range from brittle fractures (Fig. 1) to fully ductile fractures (Fig. 2), resulting in very different physical appearances associated with the different types. This can be modeled on a stress/strain curve (https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Graphics/Mechanical/Brittle-Ductile.gif) showing where fracture occurs along the graph.

Quantitatively being able to measure ductility is important with regards to comparing ductility between different materials. Ductility can be measured through two main methods: percent elongation and percent reduction of area[5]. The formulas can be found below: (http://www.engineersedge.com/material_science/ductility.htm)

Percent Elongation = (Final Gage Length - Initial Gage Length) / Initial Gage Length

      = ((Lf - Lo) / Lo) * 100

Percent Reduction of Area = (Area of Original Cross Section - Minimum Final Area) / Area of Original Cross Section

      = (Decrease in Area / Original Area)

[2]

Connectedness

As an engineering major, determining the correct material for components can be high risk. Knowing different materials ranges of ductility, can be integral in choosing the best option. This is especially important in materials that have a high applied tensile strength. Significant brittle fractures can cause a lot of damage. This was seen in Liberty Ships in World War 2, where ships had hull cracks and other major defects due to the cold temperatures of the water. which caused the ship's materials to be brittle. Eventually, a few ships sank and were lost to these brittle fractures.[13]

History

Percy Williams Bridgman's findings on tensile strength and material properties led to much of what is known about ductility, including that it is highly influenced by temperature and pressure. These findings led him to win the 1946 Nobel Prize in physics.[4]

See also

• Malleability
• Temperature
• Pressure

Further reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductility

External links

[1]

References

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductility [2]https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Advanced_Structural_Analysis/Part_I_-_Theory/Materials/Properties/Ductility [3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductility#/media/File:Ductility.svg [4]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Williams_Bridgman [5]http://www.engineersedge.com/material_science/ductility.htm [6]https://www.doitpoms.ac.uk/tlplib/BD6/ductile-to-brittle.php [7]http://www.spartaengineering.com/effects-of-low-temperature-on-performance-of-steel-equipment/ [8]http://people.clarkson.edu/~isuni/Chap-7.pdf [9]http://www.etomica.org/app/modules/sites/MaterialFracture/Background1.html [10]https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plastic%20deformation [11]http://www.failurecriteria.com/theductile-britt.html [12]https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Structure/linear_defects.htm [13]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_ship [14]https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Engineering-Stress-Strain-curve-for-both-Brittle-and-Ductile-material-Source_fig4_326753159 [15]https://www.instructables.com/Steps-to-Analyzing-a-Materials-Properties-from-its/