Which property of a material refers to its ability to undergo inelastic deformations without fracture?

The property of a material that refers to its ability to undergo inelastic deformations without fracture is known as ductility. Ductility is a measure of how much a material can be elongated or stretched before it fails, which is particularly important in applications where materials are subjected to tensile forces. When a ductile material is subjected to stress, it can deform plastically and absorb energy, making it less likely to fracture suddenly.

This characteristic is crucial in structural applications where materials may experience significant loads and need to exhibit some degree of plastic deformation before failure. For example, metals like steel are considered ductile because they can be drawn into wires or formed into shapes without breaking.

Other properties such as strength relate to the maximum stress a material can withstand, toughness refers to a material's ability to absorb energy and deform plastically before fracturing, and brittleness describes materials that fracture without significant deformation. While these terms are related to material behavior under load, they do not specifically address the capacity for inelastic deformation without failure, which is the defining aspect of ductility.