Final answer:
Tensile toughness, also known as work of fracture, is the ability of a ductile material to absorb energy before fracturing. It is a measure of a material's resistance to fracture under tensile stress.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tensile toughness, or work of fracture, is the term used to describe a ductile material's capacity to absorb energy prior to breaking. It gauges a material's ability to withstand fracture under tensile stress.
Plastic deformation occurs when a ductile material experiences tensile stress. This indicates that it has the ability to absorb energy and stretch without breaking.
The area under the stress-strain curve up to the point of fracture is divided by the specimen's cross-sectional area to determine the tensile toughness.