The ductility of a material is linked to its ability to deform without breaking.
Ductility is the quality of ductile . This adjective can refer to something accommodating , condescending, that admits large mechanical deformations or that can be mechanically extended with wires or threads.
Ductility is the property of those materials that, under the action of a force , can deform without breaking. These materials, such as certain metals or asphalt, are known as ductile . On the other hand, materials that do not have this property are classified as brittle . This means that ductile materials can undergo significant deformations before breaking, while brittle materials break with almost no deformation.
Ductile materials tolerate plastic deformation manufacturing methods and withstand greater amounts of use because they deform before breaking. It is necessary to apply a great force to break a ductile material: its atoms can slide over each other , stretching the material without breaking.
Differences between ductility and softness
It is important to know how to distinguish between the terms ductile and soft. Firstly, ductility only appears when a particular material is subjected to a force of great magnitude; For example, if a small load is applied, then the material will deform slightly, and will only yield and deform to a much greater degree when pushed to its limit.
The most curious thing and worth highlighting is that when this type of material crosses that barrier, in which the force exerted on it is considerable, it retains its integrity and simply changes shape .
During a tensile test , an experiment that consists of evaluating the properties related to the resistance of a material by searching for the point at which it breaks, ductiles go through a very considerable stage of irreversible deformation that is characterized by a minimal increase in load. to which he submits.
Advantages of these materials
For the technology industry and without taking into account certain economic issues, it is very advantageous to use this type of materials for the manufacture of products, given that they allow very convenient techniques to obtain certain complex or specific shapes. Regarding their use, their flexibility before being destroyed is their most attractive aspect; A fragile material breaks without giving any signs to its user, while in the case of ductile materials, extreme torsion is observed, so that it would be impossible to break them by accident.
Ductile materials are usually used especially in children's products, seeking to increase not only the durability of the objects but also to offer greater safety. Opposite to fragility, ductility ensures that a very pronounced effort is necessary for breakage to occur, and prevents the spread into small fragments, dangerous mainly for children and domestic animals, who tend to put everything in their mouths.
The flexibility of a basketball player is given by his ability to contribute in different facets of the game.
Ductility as the ability to perform different tasks
In another sense, ductility is associated with a person's ability to successfully fulfill various tasks or functions. A flexible basketball player, for example, will be able to score points from any part of the field, provide assists and get rebounds.
A ductile employee is one who can fulfill different obligations within the same company : «Juan always surprises me with his ductility: yesterday he sold dozens of products, today he is in charge of paying suppliers and tomorrow he will help me carry out a marketing campaign » , «I regret to inform you that we are going to dispense with your services: we need someone with more flexibility for this position» .
There are clear differences between this term and versatility , especially when used as qualifiers for people: although both refer to the flexibility of an individual, someone who is versatile is capable of doing many different things, which are generally associated with diverse talents, while that a ductile person can handle many issues at the same time without problems, especially because of their good disposition and not necessarily because of their abilities.