9 strongest materials that help push the limits of engineering

The article highlights nine of the strongest materials that have significantly advanced engineering and industrial applications due to their exceptional hardness, strength, and durability. It explains key measures of material strength, including tensile strength, compressive strength, yield strength, and impact strength, emphasizing that hardness alone does not equate to toughness. These materials range from natural elements to engineered alloys, each playing a crucial role in various demanding environments. Among the materials discussed, boron stands out with a Mohs hardness of 9.5, notable for its brittleness but valuable in glassmaking, nuclear applications, and ceramics. Tungsten carbide, with a hardness between 9.0 and 9.5, is a man-made compound essential for cutting tools, mining equipment, and wear-resistant coatings, prized for its toughness and near-diamond hardness. Chromium, the hardest pure metal at 8.5 on the Mohs scale, is primarily used to enhance corrosion resistance in stainless steel and for decorative chrome plating. Tungsten itself