Ductility in construction
Ductility (or ductile) describes a material that possesses a relatively large plastic region, in that it can be deformed, worked and reworked many times before it is likely to fail or become brittle. Formally it is defined by the degree to which a material can sustain plastic deformation under tensile stress before it fails. . This is different from a malleable material which can be flattened into sheets through compressive forces.
Ductile metals have the capacity to be drawn into a wire without fracturing. This is an important characteristic in manufacturing and occurs due to the nature of metallic bonds in aluminium, copper and magnesium alloys, whilst cast iron is less ductile and fails due to its brittleness as do tungsten and high-carbon steel.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
CIOB reacts to the announcement of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.
Heritage and conservation science workforce survey - Have your say.
England's Suburbs 1820-2020. Book review.
New, more proportionate and targeted approach for higher-risk building assessments.
Government brings British Steel into public ownership.
UKCW Birmingham returns with bold new theme and focus.
New guidance published on competence requirements for self-certification schemes.
Construction Management, 8 July
NEETs crisis drives interest in trades, but apprenticeships barriers remain.
Passive fire protection webinar
MEP services penetration seals.
Where its at podcast (and video) - The role of the Architectural Technologist as an Expert Witness.
More than 200 remarkable buildings added to SAVE’s Buildings at Risk register.
Government scraps pre-application consultation for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Comments
[edit] To make a comment about this article, or to suggest changes, click 'Add a comment' above. Separate your comments from any existing comments by inserting a horizontal line.