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.

References

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.