When selecting a material for an engineering purpose it is essential to understand how the material will behave under stress. Stress-strain curves for different materials show that there is an extremely diverse range of behaviour patterns available. While all materials may exhibit some form of elastic stretching, not all may exhibit plastic deformation. We can therefore take a closer look at some common materials and see how they differ.
Non-ferrous metal
Ferrous metal
Polymer
Ceramic
Composite
