Fragiliteetti

Fragiliteetti is a Swedish term that translates to fragility or brittleness. It is often used in contexts related to material science, engineering, and physics to describe the tendency of a substance or object to break or fracture when subjected to stress. This characteristic is the opposite of ductility or toughness, which describes a material's ability to deform without fracturing.

Materials exhibiting fragiliteetti tend to fail suddenly and catastrophically, offering little warning before fracture. This behavior is often associated with materials that have a high Young's modulus but low fracture toughness. Examples of materials that can exhibit fragiliteetti under certain conditions include glass, ceramics, and some types of cast iron. The presence of micro-cracks or imperfections within the material can significantly increase its susceptibility to brittle fracture.

Understanding fragiliteetti is crucial in the design and selection of materials for various applications. Engineers must consider this property to ensure the safety and reliability of structures and components, especially those that will experience significant loads or temperature variations. Conversely, in some specialized applications, like explosive fragmentation, a degree of fragiliteetti might be a desired characteristic. The study of fracture mechanics often involves analyzing the factors that contribute to brittle failure and developing methods to mitigate or control it.