---
title: "Tenacity and elasticity"
subject: "Civil Engineering Materials"
chapter: 1
key: "semester_3/civil_engineering_materials:property-tenacity-elasticity"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_3/civil_engineering_materials/property-tenacity-elasticity
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Tenacity and elasticity

Civil Engineering Materials · Chapter 1: Introduction to Civil Engineering Material

- Asked in: 2081 Baisakh, 2 marks; 2076 Asoj, 0.5 marks (asked 2 times)
- Video: [Mechanical properties of materials - Elasticity, Ductility, Brittleness, Malleability, Toughness](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4val-DD3GAA) — Smart Engineer
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_3/civil_engineering_materials/property-tenacity-elasticity
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_3/civil_engineering_materials/chapter-1

## Question

Write short notes on tenacity and elasticity as properties of materials.

## Short answer

Tenacity is the resistance to fracture under tensile load (tensile strength); wrought iron, mild steel and timber along grain are tenacious. Elasticity is the ability to regain original shape after load removal, following Hooke's law; steel is elastic, clay and lead are plastic.

## Answer

#### Tenacity
**Tenacity** is the property of a material to resist fracture under a tensile (pulling) load, i.e. its tensile strength. It is the maximum tensile stress a material can bear before it breaks. Wrought iron, mild steel and timber along the grain are tenacious.

#### Elasticity
**Elasticity** is the property of a material to regain its original shape and size completely after the external load is removed. Within the elastic limit, stress is proportional to strain (Hooke's law):

$$
E = \frac{\text{stress}}{\text{strain}}
$$

$E$ is the modulus of elasticity. Steel is nearly perfectly elastic up to its elastic limit, whereas clay and lead are almost plastic.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Tenacity is the property to resist fracture under
   A. compressive load
   B. shear only
   C. tensile load, i.e. tensile strength
   D. impact only
   Answer: C. Tenacity is maximum tensile stress before breaking. (Key point: Tenacity)

2. Elasticity means the material
   A. stays deformed permanently
   B. fractures suddenly
   C. flows continuously
   D. regains its original shape completely after load removal
   Answer: D. That is elasticity; plasticity is permanent deformation. (Key point: Elasticity)

3. Within the elastic limit, E equals
   A. stress / strain
   B. strain / stress
   C. stress x strain
   D. load / length
   Answer: A. E = stress/strain (Hooke's law). (Key point: Hooke's law)

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