2030 – 08 – Figuring Out Toughness

Toughness is how much mechanical force a metal can take before it breaks. Impact toughness is how much force metal can withstand from a single blow. A metal that has high tensile strength might not be able to take a sudden blow.
The Charpy test is used to determine impact toughness. In the Charpy Test, a notched sample of metal is struck with a single blow. The notch will create additional stress throughout the metal. Impact strength is measured by how much energy the metal can take before breaking from a single blow.