sprödspröde

Sprödspröde is a term used in Swedish-language technical writing to describe a qualitative mode of material failure characterized by brittle behavior with little or no plastic deformation prior to fracture. The word combines spröd 'brittle' and spröde 'fragile,' and is often employed informally to emphasize fragility in a component or material system rather than to denote a formal material class.

In practice, a sprödspröde response is typically marked by abrupt crack initiation and fast propagation once a critical stress is reached. Factors such as low temperature, high loading rate, microstructural flaws, and moisture content can promote sprödspröde behavior, while materials with higher toughness and ductility are less likely to be described this way.

Common contexts include ceramics, tempered or quenched glass, ceramic coatings, and certain brittle polymers under specific conditions. The term is descriptive rather than prescriptive; it does not replace standardized concepts in fracture mechanics, such as brittle fracture or crack propagation resistance, but complements them as a heuristic label in failure analyses, design review, and root-cause investigations.

Since sprödspröde is not a formal property in engineering standards, its exact interpretation varies by author or discipline. Users typically corroborate the observation with measurements of fracture surfaces, crack growth rates, or K_IC data when available.

See also: brittle fracture, fracture mechanics, brittleness, ductile fracture.