kovuus
Kovuus is a term used in materials science to describe the overall mechanical durability of a material, combining resistance to plastic deformation, fracture, and fatigue under service conditions. The word is derived from the Finnish kovuus, meaning hardness or toughness, and has been adopted in cross-disciplinary discussions to capture a single index of durability rather than multiple properties. In this article, kovuus is discussed as a theoretical construct rather than a single standardized quantity.
Kovuus does not refer to a universally defined property. In one commonly cited formulation, it is treated
There is no official standard for kovuus. In practice, researchers have proposed using a combination of tests
Kovuus is primarily discussed in theoretical or exploratory contexts and in some Finnish-language literature. It is
The concept emerged in academic discussions in the 2010s and remains informal. Critics note that without a
Hardness, toughness, fracture toughness, fatigue, material durability.