unverformbare

Unverformbare is an adjective in German meaning undeformable or rigid. In physics and engineering, it refers to an idealized object whose shape does not change under applied forces. Such objects are treated as rigid bodies in classical mechanics, enabling simplified descriptions of motion where only translational and rotational degrees of freedom are considered.

The concept is often described in German texts with the phrase ein unverformbarer Körper. In practice, an undeformable body is an idealization; in reality most materials deform to some extent when forces are applied, especially under high stress or over long times (creep). The rigid-body approximation is valid when deformations are negligible compared to the overall motion, or when the analysis focuses on kinematics rather than internal stress.

Unverformbar differs from incompressible: an incompressible object preserves volume but can change shape; a truly unverformbare body neither alters its shape nor its size in the considered regime.

In mathematics and geometry, related ideas appear under rigidity: a shape is rigid if its intrinsic distances are preserved under deformations. The term unverformbar can be used in informal German descriptions of such ideas, though the formal term rigidity is more common in English texts.

Common contexts include mechanics of rigid bodies, linkages, frames, and automotive or aerospace engineering, where components are treated as unverformbare to simplify analyses.