Plasticity (physics)

Plasticity, or plastic deformation, is the ability of a solid material to have a permanent change in shape. In physics and materials science, this is called deformation.^[1][2]

For example, a solid piece of metal being bent or pounded into a new shape shows plasticity. Permanent changes occur in the material itself. In engineering, the transition from elastic behaviour to plastic behaviour is known as yielding.

1. ↑ Lubliner, J. (2008). Plasticity theory. Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-46290-5.
2. ↑ Bigoni, D. (2012). Nonlinear Solid Mechanics: Bifurcation Theory and Material Instability. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-02541-7.