Impact resistance is the material's ability to withstand a sudden applied force or shock without breaking, cracking, or deforming permanently. It’s a measure of toughness, how well a material can absorb energy from an impact before failing. Think of it like a phone screen surviving a drop or a car bumper taking a hit without shattering. Materials with high impact resistance, like polycarbonate or certain steel alloys, can absorb and dissipate energy through elastic or plastic deformation. Brittle materials, like glass or untreated ceramics, tend to have low impact resistance because they fracture easily under sudden stress. Engineers test this property using methods like the Izod or Charpy impact tests, where a sample is struck with a controlled force and the energy absorbed is measured.
