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proof stress

American  

noun

  1. the load per unit area that a structure can withstand without being permanently deformed by more than a specified amount.


proof stress British  

noun

  1. engineering the equivalent of yield stress in materials which have no clearly defined yield point

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of proof stress

First recorded in 1860–65