Elementary Engineering Fracture Mechanics

Elementary engineering fracture mechanics

When asked to start teaching a course on engineering fracture mechanics, I realized that a concise textbook, giving a general oversight of the field, did not exist. The explanation is undoubtedly that the subject is still in a stage of early development, and that the methodologies have still a very limited applicability. It is not possible to give rules for general application of fracture mechanics concepts. Yet our comprehension of cracking and fracture beha viour of materials and structures is steadily increasing. Further developments may be expected in the not too distant future, enabling useful prediction of fracture safety and fracture characteristics on the basis of advanced fracture mechanics procedures. The user of such advanced procedures m\lst have a general understanding of the elementary concepts, which are provided by this volume. Emphasis was placed on the practical application of fracture mechanics, but it was aimed to treat the subject in a way that may interest both metallurgists and engineers. For the latter, some general knowledge of fracture mechanisms and fracture criteria is indispensable for an apprecia tion of the limita tions of fracture mechanics. Therefore a general discussion is provided on fracture mechanisms, fracture criteria, and other metal lurgical aspects, without going into much detail. Numerous references are provided to enable a more detailed study of these subjects which are still in a stage of speculative treatment.

Elementary Engineering Fracture Mechanics

The Practical Use of Fracture Mechanics

This book is about the use of fracture mechanics for the solution of practical problems; academic rigor is not at issue and dealt with only in as far as it improves insight and understanding; it often concerns secondary errors in engineering. Knowledge of (ignorance of) such basic input as loads and stresses in practical cases may cause errors far overshadowing those introduced by shortcomings of fracture mechanics and necessary approximations; this is amply demonstrated in the text. I have presented more than three dozen 40-hour courses on fracture mechanics and damage tolerance analysis, so that I have probably more experience in teaching the subject than anyone else. I learned more than the students, and became cognizant of difficulties and of the real concerns in applications. In particular I found, how a subject should be explained to appeal to the practicing engineer to demonstrate that his practical problem can indeed be solved with engineering methods. This experience is reflected in the presenta tions in this book. Sufficient background is provided for an understanding of the issues, but pragamatism prevails. Mathematics cannot be avoided, but they are presented in a way that appeals to insight and intuition, in lieu of formal derivations which would show but the mathematical skill of the writer.