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Some metals will deform slightly when they are moved because they are more plastic than elastic. Lead is like this, it kind of smears when you bend it and doesn't return to its original shape. Aluminum is much the same way, but not nearly as pronounced as lead. But steel should always return to its original shape as long as you do not exceed the point at which it is known to deform. In other words a steel beam that is rated to hold 800 lbs will bow if you put 790 lbs on it but return 100% to its original shape. On the other hand if you put 900 lbs on it, it will still hold but it will be slightly bent when you take the load off it. I forget the technical terms for this, but there are a few different types of strength ratings, one is the stress a material will hold under which point the material will be able to return 100% to its original shape, another is the maximum stress a material can hold without snapping, but it will suffer some permanent deformation, and the other is the threshold at which the material will just fail if you exceed it.
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