the measure of a materials resistance to deformation by surface indentation. The hardness of a material is generally directly proportional to strength and brittleness, i.e. the harder the material the lower the ductility. Hardness also measures a materials resistance to localized *plastic (permanent) deformation. It is Increase in resistance to indentation.
INDENT Tooth-like notches.
INDENTATION 1. Extent of deformation by the indentor point of any one of a number of standard hardness testing instruments; 2. Recess in the surface of a hose.
Toughness A material property indicating
the energy required to fail a material; in other words how much energy a material can absorb up to fracture. In general ductile materials tend to be the toughest. The area under a stressstrain plot for a material is a way of measuring toughness. It is Property of matter that resists fracture by impact or shock.
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Hardness - "Hardness describes how
much energy it takes to deform (stretch,
compress, bend, etc.) a material." Hardness is a parameter which measures how resistant a solid material is to permanent shape changes when a compressive force is applied. Hard materials usually have strong intermolecular forces. Therefore, they can withstand external forces without changing their shape permanently.
Toughness - "Toughness describes
how much total energy has to be used
before a material breaks".In material science and metallurgy, toughness is described as the ability of a material to absorb energy to deform plastically without fracturing. It is also said to be the resistance to deforming plastically, before fracturing when stressed. Sometimes, it is defined as the energy per unit volume that a material can absorb without rupturing.
Properties and Examples of
Hardness and Toughness Hardness: A hard material can scratch a soft material. Hardness depends on other material properties such as ductility, elastic stiffness, plasticity, strain, strength, toughness and viscosity.
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Diamond is the hardest natural material
on the earth. The other examples of hard materials are ceramics, concrete, and some metals.
Toughness: Tough material can absorb
large amounts of energy without fracturing; therefore tough materials require a balance of strength and ductility. Brittle materials have a lower value for toughness. Manganese, wrought iron, and mild steel materials are considered as tough materials.
Resilience is the ability of a material
to absorb energy when it
is deformed elastically, and release that energy upon unloading.
Proof resilience is defined as the
maximum energy that can be absorbed
within the elastic limit, without creating a permanent distortion." Resilience Stiffness is the rigidity of an object the extent to which it resists deformation in response to an applied force. "Hardness" in the elastic rangea small temporary change in shape for a given forceis known as stiffness in the case
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of a given object, or a high elastic
modulus in the case of a material.
SOUNDNESS 1. Freedom from flaws;
2. Solid, free from cracks, flaws, fissures, or variations from an accepted standard.
The soundness test determines an
aggregates resistance to disintegration by weathering and, in particular, freeze-thaw cycles. Aggregates that are durable (resistant to weathering) are less likely to degrade in the field and cause premature HMA pavement distress and potentially, failure.