Steels with martensitic and tempered martensitic microstructures, though sometimes perceived as brittle, exhibit plasticity and ductile fracture behavior under certain conditions. This chapter describes the alloying and tempering conditions that produce a ductile form of martensite in low-carbon steels. It also discusses the effect of tempering temperature on the mechanical behavior and deformation properties of medium-carbon steels.

This chapter focuses on some of the facts of mechanical properties of metals that must be understood to successfully undertake the task of failure analysis. The discussion begins by describing the causes and effects of elastic and plastic deformation followed by a section describing the effects of temperature variations on mechanical properties, both in tension and in compression. The nonlinear behavior of gray cast iron caused by the graphite flakes is then described. Finally, the effect of stress concentrations on high-strength metals is considered.

This chapter introduces the concepts of mechanical properties and the various underlying metallurgical mechanisms that can be used to alter the strength of materials. The mechanical properties discussed include elasticity, plasticity, creep deformation, fatigue, toughness, and hardness. The strengthening mechanisms covered are solid-solution strengthening, cold working, and dispersion strengthening. The effect of grain size on the yield strength of a material is also discussed.

Metals are used in many engineering applications because of their mechanical properties, particularly strength and ductility. This chapter explains how mechanical properties are measured and how to interpret the results. It describes the most widely used tests, including tensile tests; Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers, and Knoop hardness tests; and Charpy V-notch impact tests. The chapter also provides information on loading conditions that can lead to fatigue failure, and in some cases, counteract or prevent it.

This appendix provides fracture toughness and tensile property data for aluminum alloys in the 2000, 6000, 7000, and 8000 series as well as B201 and D357 aluminum castings and powder metal alloys.

This appendix provides tensile property data for titanium alloys and castings and plane-strain fracture toughness data for Ti-6Al-4V castings.

This appendix provides tensile property and fracture toughness data for titanium aluminides developed for aerospace applications.

This appendix provides tensile property and fracture toughness data for various low-alloy and stainless steels.