Capacity to absorb mechanical energy before fracture. Fracture toughness is a more specific measure of resistance to propagation of an existing crack.
A pendulum impact test on a specified notched specimen, commonly used to measure absorbed energy as a function of temperature. A transition curve characterizes a ductile-to-brittle transition, but its energy is not itself a fracture toughness value.[ref]
NIST Software Package for Obtaining Charpy Transition Curves by Enrico Lucon and others. §2, Background: measured transition quantities and their dependence on temperature
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Toughness is a material property that describes a material's ability to absorb energy and plastically deform without fracturing. It is a combination of strength (the ability to withstand an applied load without failure) and ductility (the ability to undergo significant plastic deformation before rupture). Tough materials can endure stress and strain without breaking, making them suitable for applications that require high impact resistance or resilience.