- published: 08 Nov 2013
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A material is brittle if, when subjected to stress, it breaks without significant deformation (strain). Brittle materials absorb relatively little energy prior to fracture, even those of high strength. Breaking is often accompanied by a snapping sound. Brittle materials include most ceramics and glasses (which do not deform plastically) and some polymers, such as PMMA and polystyrene. Many steels become brittle at low temperatures (see ductile-brittle transition temperature), depending on their composition and processing.
When used in materials science, it is generally applied to materials that fail when there is little or no evidence of plastic deformation before failure. One proof is to match the broken halves, which should fit exactly since no plastic deformation has occurred.
When a material has reached the limit of its strength, it usually has the option of either deformation or fracture. A naturally malleable metal can be made stronger by impeding the mechanisms of plastic deformation (reducing grain size, precipitation hardening, work hardening, etc.), but if this is taken to an extreme, fracture becomes the more likely outcome, and the material can become brittle. Improving material toughness is therefore a balancing act.
Actors: Michael Kamen (composer), Steve Dent (miscellaneous crew), Barbara Hershey (actress), Eric Idle (writer), Eric Sykes (actor), Eric Idle (producer), Brenda Bruce (actress), Paul Brooke (actor), Catherine Zeta-Jones (actress), Eric Idle (actor), Gary Lineker (actor), John Cleese (actor), Sadie Frost (actress), Daniel Wheatcroft (miscellaneous crew), Rick Moranis (actor),
Plot: A member of the English upper class dies, leaving his estate and his business to an American, whom he thinks is his son who was lost as a baby and then found again. An Englishman who thinks he is an Indian comes to believe that he is actually the heir. He comes to hate the American who is his boss, his friend, and the man who has stolen the woman after whom he lusts.
Keywords: arson, attempted-murder, bagpipes, black-comedy, cheating-fiancée, class-warfare, cutting-car-brake-line, english-nobility, false-alibi, farce