What term describes the ability of a metal to absorb energy?

The term that describes the ability of a metal to absorb energy is toughness. Toughness refers to a material's capacity to withstand stress without fracturing; it encompasses both strength and ductility. A tough material can absorb significant energy before failure, making it resistant to cracking or breaking under impact or stress. This property is crucial in applications where metals are subjected to dynamic loads or impacts, as it allows them to deform and absorb energy rather than fail catastrophically.

In contrast, strength pertains more to the maximum load a material can withstand without yielding, while ductility refers to the ability of a metal to deform plastically before fracturing. Brittleness describes a tendency to break or shatter without significant deformation, which is the opposite of toughness. Understanding these distinctions is vital in selecting materials for specific engineering and welding applications where energy absorption is a key performance criterion.