Tensile strength is a measurement of the force required to pull something such as rope, wire, or a structural beam to the point where it breaks. The tensile strength of a material is the maximum amount of tensile stress that it can take before failure, for example breaking. There are three typical definitions of tensile strength: Yield strength - The stress a material can withstand without permanent deformation. This is not a sharply defined point. Yield strength is the stress which will cause a permanent deformation of 0.2% of the original dimension. Ultimate strength - The maximum stress a material can withstand. Breaking strength - The stress coordinate on the stress-strain curve at the point of rupture. Typical tensile strengths Some typical tensile strengths of some materials: Note: Multiwalled carbon nanotubes have the highest tensile strength of any material yet measured, with labs producing them at a tensile strength of 63 GPa, still well below their theoretical limit of 300 GPa. However, as of 2004, no macroscopic object constructed...