FAA Aviation Mechanic General (AMG)Materials, Hardware and ProcessesEasy
A materials instructor asks a student to identify the property that describes a metal's ability to be drawn into a thin wire without fracturing. Which property is being described?
- AHardness
- BDuctility
- CMalleability
- DElasticity
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Ductility
Ductility is the property that allows a metal to be permanently stretched or drawn into wire under tensile load without breaking; malleability is the similar property under compressive forces (rolling/hammering into sheets).
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Hardness measures resistance to indentation or scratching, not deformation capability.
- C. Malleability refers to deformation under compression, such as rolling into sheets, not wire drawing.
- D. Elasticity is the ability to return to original shape after a load is removed.
Ductility vs Malleability
Ductility is a metal's ability to be stretched into wire under tension; malleability is its ability to be hammered or rolled into sheets under compression.
- Ductility = tensile deformation (wire drawing)
- Malleability = compressive deformation (rolling/hammering)
- Elasticity = returns to original shape after load removed
- Hardness = resistance to indentation
Memory trick: "Ductile = drawn into wire; Malleable = mashed into sheet."