Toughness and Resilience | Overview and Difference

Toughness is the property due to which the material can withstand impact loading without fracture. Resilience is the property due to which a material can store energy without having permanent deformation

What is the difference between toughness and resilience?

Toughness and Resilience are both properties of materials. Material can withstand impact loading without fracture because of toughness and can store energy without having permanent deformation because of resilience.

What is toughness?

Let us understand what toughness means in common usage. When we say someone is tough, it means that they are strong enough to withstand rough conditions. The same applies to materials also.

Toughness is the property due to which the material can withstand impact loading without fracture (At fracture, it breaks!). If the material can take more strain without undergoing fracture then it will be the tougher material.

What is resilience?

Let us understand what is resilience in common usage. When we say someone is resilient, it means that they will withstand and come back to their original self from difficult conditions. The same applies to materials also.

Resilience is the property due to which a material can store energy without having permanent deformation.

• The energy is released as soon as the load is removed due to which there is no permanent deformation in the body.

• This property is desired in material for spring action.

Modulus of Toughness

Modulus of toughness quantifies the toughness of a material. It is the area under the stress-strain curve up to the fracture point. It can also be defined as the strain energy stored per unit volume of the material up to fracture. It also has the same unit as strain energy per unit volume which is J/m^3.

• Ductile material can take more strain up to the fracture point than the brittle material

• Mild steel is tougher than cast iron because of this reason as mild steel is ductile and cast iron is brittle.

Modulus of Resilience

Modulus of Resilience quantifies this resilience. It is defined as the area under the stress-strain curve up to the elastic limit. In other words, it is the strain energy per unit volume for material up to its elastic limit. (We are interested only till elastic limit because that is the energy which can be recovered)

The area under the curve or Strain energy per unit volume =1/2 x 𝜎 x 𝜖

Now, have a look at this short video to understand clearly the difference between toughness and resilience.

Do try out this simple question to check if you have understood toughness and resilience.

Winding up here! Let us know by commenting, what all you want next.

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