User:BirdmanOfHorseradish/ductility rewrite
Material ability to undergo significant plastic deformation before rupture / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ductility is a mechanical property commonly described as a material's amenability to drawing (e.g. into wire).[1] In materials science, ductility is defined by the degree to which a material can sustain plastic deformation under tensile stress before failure.[2][3] Ductility is an important consideration in engineering and manufacturing, defining a material's suitability for certain manufacturing operations such as cold working and its capacity to absorb mechanical overload.[4] Materials that are generally described as ductile include gold and copper.[5]
Malleability, a similar mechanical property, is characterised by a material's ability to deform plastically without failure under compressive stress.[6][7] Historically, materials were considered malleable if they were amenable to forming by hammering or rolling.[1] Lead is an example of a material which is, relatively, malleable but not ductile.[5][8]