Introduction:-The subject ‘strength of materials’ deals with the study

of strength and mechanical properties of materials and the behavior

of structural members under the action of an externally applied
loads.
Before going into the details of the subject matter, it is very
necessary to understand the following basic concepts.

• Mechanical Properties of materials Strength

• Elasticity
• Plasticity
• Ductility
• Brittleness
• Malleability
• Toughness/Impact strength
• Hardness
• Fatigue
• Creep
• Stiffness

Strength:The strength of a material is its ability to sustain loads without undue

distortion, collapse or rupture. For example: Strength plays a vital role in
designing component of a machine of a structure.
Elasticity: It is the property of a material by virtue of which it regains its
original size and shape after deformation, when the loads causing deforming
are removed.
Plasticity:The plasticity of a material is the ability to change its shape without
destruction under the action of external loads and to regain the shape given to
it when the forces are removed.
Ductility:It is the property of a material to undergo a considerable deformation
under tension before rupture. A body possessing ductility can be reduced from
large sections to thinner and thinner sections i.e. it can be drawn into wires.
Brittleness: Lack of ductility is called brittleness. The brittleness of a material is
the property of breaking, fracturing or shattering without prior warning or
without much permanent distortion under load.
Malleability: It is the property of a material by virtue of which of which it gets
permanently deformed by compression without rupture. It is the ability of a
material to be rolled or beaten up into thin sheets without cracking by rolling
and hammering.
Hardness: The ability of a material to resist wear, abrasion, scratching or
indentation by harder bodies is called hardness.
Impact Strength: The amount of shock energy absorbed by a specimen before
it fractures is called its impact strength or toughness. The energy required to
break the given specimen is measured in joules (N-m).
Fatigue: The failure of a material caused under repeated loads or cyclic
stresses is known as ‘fatigue’ or ‘fatigue failure’.
Creep:The slow and progressive deformation of a material with time at
constant stress is called ‘creep’. This property is considered in designing I.C.
engines, boiler and turbines.
CONCLUSION : Mechanical properties are important in understanding and
predicting a materials behavior under various conditions, therefore it helps in
the diagnosis of clinical failures. Thus it helps in understanding the design
modifications that will improve the fracture resistance of restoration.