Strain hardening exponent

The strain hardening exponent (also called strain hardening index), noted as n, is a materials constant which is used in calculations for stress-strain behaviour in work hardening.

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In the formula σ = K ε ⁿ, σ represents the applied stress on the material, ε is the strain and K is the strength coefficient. The value of the strain hardening exponent lies between 0 and 1. A value of 0 means that a material is a perfectly plastic solid, while a value of 1 represents a 100% elastic solid. Most metals have an n value between 0.10 and 0.50.