What property of materials does ductility primarily refer to?

Ductility primarily refers to the ability of a material to deform plastically under tensile stress without breaking. This property is crucial in various applications because it allows materials to be stretched into wires or shaped into different forms without fracturing. For instance, metals like gold and aluminum exhibit high ductility, making them suitable for processes like drawing and forging, where the material is intentionally deformed.

The focus on a material's capacity to undergo significant plastic deformation before failure distinguishes ductility from other properties such as conductivity, thermal resistance, or wear resistance. These properties deal with different mechanisms and behaviors in materials. For instance, electrical conductivity pertains to how well a material can transmit electric current, while wear resistance is concerned with a material's durability against friction and abrasion. The high-temperature resistance of a material relates to its ability to maintain its properties at elevated temperatures, which is also not directly associated with ductility.