The report reviews the state of the art of dealing with cracks at holes in engineering structures. The problem of interaction of cracks and holes is considered in its broadest sense. The usefulness of existing analysis and their limitation are discussed. Also surveyed are problems worthy of future research effort.

Emphasizing a balanced approach to design that integrates fracture mechanics, materials science and stress analysis, this work explains the fundamentals of fracture and provides clear definitions, basic formulas and worked examples. Case studies highlight fracture mechanics parameters of particular materials and hands-on stress analysis techniques.

Theoretical treatments of fracture mechanics abound in the literature. Among the first books to address this vital topic from an applied standpoint was the first edition of Practical Fracture Mechanics in Design. Completely updated and expanded to reflect recent developments in the field, the second edition of this valuable reference concisely revi

An analytical and experimental program was conducted to evaluate the crack growth gage concept for application as an individual aircraft tracking device. Three gage designs were evaluated. Volume I discusses the evaluation of two versions of a stepped thickness gage and a stepped width gage. Volume II discusses the evaluation of a side-grooved constant thickness gage. An analytical evaluation of the change in transfer function corresponding to gage design parameter changes was performed to determine the configuration of the gages to be tested. Initial spectrum tests were conducted on the first stepped gage design to determine the ranking ability of the gage. Then constant amplitude tests were conducted on the second stepped gage design. A modification of the gage was made to improve spectrum test response. The modified gage was subjected to both constant amplitude testing and spectrum testing. The analytically derived crack growth rates were compared to the test data. In general, the analysis predicted slightly higher growth rates than observed.

Topics covered in this title include: the fracturing and damage of composite materials; ceramics; metals; and concretes and rocks at different scales in both monotonic and cyclic loading.