Pretty sure they are talking about “plastic deformation” which is a term in materials science for when something is under the right conditions and force is applied, it bends instead of breaks or springs back.
This is probably on the right track, but just wanted to add a little detail. Elastic deformation is when something fully springs back to its original shape. Plastic deformation has some spring back, but some portion of the deformation remains after the force is removed. Unless of course you bend it to the point of breaking. I’d imagine that means that in the brittle zone in the image there’s virtually no deformation, just force applied until a break occurs.
Micro and nano plastics made they way down there.
Pretty sure they are talking about “plastic deformation” which is a term in materials science for when something is under the right conditions and force is applied, it bends instead of breaks or springs back.
This is probably on the right track, but just wanted to add a little detail. Elastic deformation is when something fully springs back to its original shape. Plastic deformation has some spring back, but some portion of the deformation remains after the force is removed. Unless of course you bend it to the point of breaking. I’d imagine that means that in the brittle zone in the image there’s virtually no deformation, just force applied until a break occurs.