Endstärke
Endstärke is a German term that is used in various contexts to denote the final, ultimate strength that a component or system can withstand before failure. In materials science and mechanical engineering, the concept is closest to the ultimate tensile strength. It describes the maximum engineering stress a material reaches on a stress–strain curve during a tensile test, before rupture. The value is influenced by material composition, microstructure, temperature, strain rate, and the presence of defects, and is typically expressed in units of megapascals (MPa) or gigapascals (GPa). Distinctions are drawn with yield strength (Streckgrenze) which marks the onset of plastic deformation, and with fracture strength at fracture. In brittle materials, these regions may coincide.
In practice, Endstärke is used for design safety assessments and material selection, defined by standards and
The term is not uniformly standardized in German technical literature; some authors prefer Zugfestigkeit or Bruchfestigkeit
See also: Zugfestigkeit, Bruchfestigkeit, Tensile test, Material properties, Material testing standards.