Splinterability

Splinterability refers to the propensity of a material to break into sharp, slender fragments when subjected to stress, impact, or force. It is a measure of a material's brittleness and its tendency to fracture unevenly, resulting in splinters rather than clean breaks or deformations. High splinterability indicates a material's vulnerability to splintering under various conditions. The term is often applied to materials like wood, glass, and certain plastics, considering factors like grain structure, chemical composition, and the presence of flaws which can impact how easily a material will split into small, pointed pieces. The characteristics that would lead to increased splinterability are a high proportion of the material being aligned in one direction, lack of flex or flexibility and a high degree of brittleness. The degree of splinterability plays a crucial role in assessing the safety and suitability of materials in various applications.

Splinterability meaning with examples

• The old, weathered wooden fence displayed high splinterability, posing a hazard to children playing nearby. A simple knock could cause jagged splinters.
• During the accident, the shattered safety glass demonstrated significant splinterability. This contributed to the risks of injury for the passengers, as shards of the glass impacted them.
• The designer avoided the low splinterability material for the kitchen countertop because it's a high-use area. The material was deemed inappropriate for use on a frequent basis due to its propensity to break.
• When the hammer struck the rock, its high splinterability caused a shower of dangerous, needle-sharp fragments to fly in all directions. Safety glasses were essential to mitigate these hazards.
• The manufacturer tested the splinterability of their new composite material and reduced its tendency to fragment by carefully controlling the alignment and adding in a degree of flexibility.