Brittle Fracture

Brittle fracture, in contrast to ductile fracture, occurs without stretching. Metals that fail in brittle fracture are said to fail in a brittle mode or manner. Brittle failures are characterized by a lack of deformation (stretching), especially at the fracture face or surface. An example of a brittle fracture is shown in Photograph A below. Photograph A shows brittle fracture of a screwdriver shaft.

Photograph A Overall view of failed screwdriver shaft.

A close-up, magnified view of the flat brittle (lack of deformation) screwdriver shaft fracture is shown in Photograph B.

Photograph B Close-up view of failed screwdriver shaft. Lack of deformation and ductility at the fracture face is particularly noteworthy.