What's the difference between toughness and strength?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the distinction between toughness and strength, exploring their definitions and implications within materials engineering. Participants seek clarity on these terms and their relevance in physics.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether "toughness" and "strength" are standard physics terms.
  • One participant proposes that strength implies power and toughness implies force, suggesting definitions related to energy and momentum, though they express uncertainty about these assumptions.
  • Another participant clarifies that toughness is defined as the area under the stress-strain curve, indicating it measures the total energy absorbed until failure.
  • This same participant distinguishes strength as a specific value of applied stress, mentioning terms like Yield Strength, Breaking Strength, and Ultimate Tensile Strength, which relate to different points on the stress-strain curve.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion reflects a lack of consensus on the definitions and implications of toughness and strength, with some participants seeking clarification while others provide technical insights.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty regarding the standardization of terms and the assumptions underlying their definitions, indicating potential limitations in their understanding.

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Who can give a detailed explanation? :cry:
 
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I certainly can't! Are you sure those are standard physics terms?
 
what exactly do you mean with "toughness" and "strength"?

assuming strength implies power, and toughness implies force: they mean [tex]\frac{dE}{dt}[/tex]and [tex]\frac{dp}{dt}[/tex] respectively. I'm not sure about these assumptions, though.
 
Toughness and strength are materials engineering terms.

Toughness is the area under the stress-strain curve, and is a measure of the total energy absorbed until failure.

Strength is the usually a specific value of the applied stress. Strength can refer to either the Yield Strength or the Breaking Strength. The Yield Strength or Yield Point is the stress beyond which plastic flow begins, and is very close to the elastic limit of the material. The Breaking Strength is the stress at failure. Another term often referred to is the Ultimate Tensile Strength or Maximum Stress, which is the stress at the highest point on a true stress-strain curve.
 
thanx for your reply, Gokul. that's very helpful!
 

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