Seighet

Seighet is a term used in Scandinavian languages to denote toughness or resilience, broadly describing a material's ability to withstand deformation and resist fracture, and its capacity to absorb energy during stress. In materials science, seighet refers to toughness: the resistance to crack initiation and propagation, often quantified as the energy absorbed before fracture or the area under the stress-strain curve. It reflects both strength and ductility; a material with high seighet can deform significantly before breaking.

In testing, seighet is assessed by methods such as Charpy or Izod impact tests, fracture toughness measurements (K_IC), or by properties like impact energy and elongation. The concept is important for applications where materials undergo sudden or dynamic loads, such as in construction, automotive, and aerospace components.

In textiles and polymers, seighet often describes resistance to tearing and the ability to endure repeated stresses. In food science, seighet translates as chewiness or chew resistance, influenced by moisture, fat content, and gluten networks; in baking, a certain level of seighet is desirable in bread to balance crumb structure and moisture.

Etymology: the term is used in Norwegian and related Scandinavian languages to express resilience and durability; cognates appear in Danish and Swedish with similar meanings in technical and everyday language.

See also: toughness, ductility, impact resistance, fracture mechanics.