Abstract: The invention relates to components made from ductile metallic materials, and to a method with which deformation or the load acting on these materials is to be determined by means of acoustic emissions analysis. For this purpose, a particulate substance which is brittle at least in the temperature range below 400° C. is added to the ductile metallic material, which may preferably be a weldable structural steel, but may also be a ductile light metal alloy (e.g. aluminum alloy), in order to intensify the acoustic emissions behavior. The particles should be brittle at least in the temperature range of use of the component in question, e.g. at room temperature. It is advantageous if the particles are also plastically deformable in the forming temperature range, so that a certain structure (elongate or acicular) of the particles can be achieved, for example during cold work-hardening.