Many engineering structures and components contain cracks or crack-like flaws and it is widely recognized that crack growth must be considered both in the design and analysis of failures. The complete solution of a crack growth problem therefore includes determination of the crack path. At present the factors controlling the path taken by a propagating crack are not completely understood. In general crack paths are difficult to predict, while in practice their development in structures is often determined by large-scale structural tests. In introductory texts on fracture mechanics it is usually assumed that the crack path is known, either from theoretical considerations, or from the results of laboratory tests.

Volume is indexed by Thomson Reuters CPCI-S (WoS). This book presents contributions from researchers in 21 countries, and is based upon a forum meeting which promoted the exchange of the latest experimental and theoretical research results on structural integrity, durability and failure analysis; with the emphasis being placed on fracture and damage mechanics.

It is an undeniable truth: give evil a name and everyone's happy. Give it two names and...why, they're even happier. Intrepid necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, scourges of civilization, raisers of the dead, reapers of the souls of the living, devourers of hope, betrayers of faith, slayers of the innocent, and modest personifications of evil, have a lot to answer for and answer they will. Known as the Nehemoth, they are pursued by countless self-professed defenders of decency, sanity, and civilization. After all, since when does evil thrive unchallenged? Well, often—but not this time. Hot on their heels are the Nehemothanai, avowed hunters of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach. In the company of a gaggle of artists and pilgrims, stalwart Mortal Sword Tulgord Vise, pious Well Knight Arpo Relent, stern Huntsman Steck Marynd, and three of the redoubtable Chanter brothers (and their lone sister) find themselves faced with the cruelest of choices. The legendary Crack'd Pot Trail, a stretch of harsh wasteland between the Gates of Nowhere and the Shrine of the Indifferent God, has become a tortured path of deprivation. Will honor, moral probity, and virtue prove champions in the face of brutal necessity? No, of course not. Don't be silly. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.