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.

Lectures on Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics is suitable for Bachelor's level education at schools of engineering with an academic profile. It gives a concise and formal account of the theoretical framework of elementary Engineering Mechanics. A distinguishing feature of this textbook is that its content is consistently structured into postulates, definitions and theorems, with rigorous derivations. The reader finds support in a wealth of illustrations and a cross-reference for each deduction. This textbook underscores the importance of properly drawn free-body diagrams to enhance the problem-solving skills of students. Table of contents I. STATICS . . . 1. Introduction . . . 2. Force-couple systems . . . 3. Static equilibrium . . . 4. Center of mass . . . 5. Distributed and internal forces . . . 6. Friction II. PARTICLE DYNAMICS . . . 7. Planar kinematics of particles . . . 8. Kinetics of particles . . . 9. Work-energy method for particles . . . 10. Momentum and angular momentum of particles . . . 11. Harmonic oscillators III. RIGID BODY DYNAMICS . . . 12. Planar kinematics of rigid bodies . . . 13. Planar kinetics of rigid bodies . . . 14. Work-energy method for rigid bodies . . . 15. Impulse relations for rigid bodies . . . 16. Three-dimensional kinematics of rigid bodies . . . 17. Three-dimensional kinetics of rigid bodies APPENDIX . . . A. Selected mathematics . . . B. Quantity, unit and dimension . . . C. Tables