Embrittlement is a reduction in which property?

• A. Ductility
• B. Hardness
• C. Hydrogen
• D. All of the Above

Answer: (A)

Embrittlement means the material loses its ability to deform plastically, so it becomes brittle and fractures with less warning. Ductility is the property that describes how much a metal can elongate or deform before breaking. When embrittlement occurs, cracks form and propagate more easily under stress, often with little plastic deformation, which is why the material behaves more brittly. Hydrogen embrittlement is a well-known cause, where hydrogen atoms diffuse into the metal and weaken bonds at defects, reducing ductility. Hardness is a different property and can change independently of embrittlement; embrittlement isn’t defined as a reduction in hardness. Hydrogen itself isn’t a property that embrittlement reduces, but rather a factor that can cause embrittlement. Therefore, the property reduced by embrittlement is ductility.