Over the past few years, we have made numerous presentations, delivered several series of lectures, and participated in many discussions on the processes of time-dependent crack growth. We felt that the understanding of these processes had reached a degree of maturity: the basic physical principles were established and their application to engineering practice was now feasible. We concluded that the best way to organize this knowledge was to write it up in a single, coherent system. Martinus Nijhoff kindly encouraged us and generously offered their collaboration. Hence, this book. The physical process of time-dependent subcritical crack growth is rigorously defined by statistical mechanics. If well presented, the principles can be readily understood by practitioners of fracture research and design engineers. We present the physical processes of crack growth in terms of atomic interactions that assume only a working knowledge of the standard engineering materials course contents. From this, we develop a framework that is valid for any type of material, be it metallic, polymeric, ceramic, glass or mineral - indeed, any solid. We also assume an elementary exposure to fracture mechanics. An appendix is provided that outlines those aspects of fracture mechanics that are needed for an introduction to fracture kinetics analyses; it also provides a common ground for concepts and terminology (see Appendix A). We proceed through theory to applications that are of interest in research, development and design, as well as in test and operating engineering practice.

Over the past few years, we have made numerous presentations, delivered several series of lectures, and participated in many discussions on the processes of time-dependent crack growth. We felt that the understanding of these processes had reached a degree of maturity: the basic physical principles were established and their application to engineering practice was now feasible. We concluded that the best way to organize this knowledge was to write it up in a single, coherent system. Martinus Nijhoff kindly encouraged us and generously offered their collaboration. Hence, this book. The physical process of time-dependent subcritical crack growth is rigorously defined by statistical mechanics. If well presented, the principles can be readily understood by practitioners of fracture research and design engineers. We present the physical processes of crack growth in terms of atomic interactions that assume only a working knowledge of the standard engineering materials course contents. From this, we develop a framework that is valid for any type of material, be it metallic, polymeric, ceramic, glass or mineral - indeed, any solid. We also assume an elementary exposure to fracture mechanics. An appendix is provided that outlines those aspects of fracture mechanics that are needed for an introduction to fracture kinetics analyses; it also provides a common ground for concepts and terminology (see Appendix A). We proceed through theory to applications that are of interest in research, development and design, as well as in test and operating engineering practice.

The book gives a description of the failure phenomena of ceramic materials under mechanical loading, the methods to determine their properties, and the principles for material selection. The book presents fracture mechanical and statistical principles and their application to describe the scatter of strength and lifetime, while special chapters are devoted to creep behaviour, multiaxial failure criteria and thermal shock behaviour. XXXXXXX Neuer Text Describing how ceramic materials fracture and fail under mechanical loading, this book provides methods for determining the properties of ceramics, and gives criteria for selecting ceramic materials for particular applications. It also examines the fracture-mechanical and statistical principles and their use in understanding the strength and durability of ceramics. Special chapters are devoted to creep behavior, criteria for multiaxial failure, and behavior under thermal shock. Readers will gain insight into the design of reliable ceramic components.

This book is a monograph on the brittle fracture of ceramic materials, in a unified continuum, microstructural and atomistic treatment.

This book presents the theoretical concepts of stress and strain, as well as the strengthening and fracture mechanisms of engineering materials in an accessible level for non-expert readers, but without losing scientific rigor. This volume fills the gap between the specialized books on mechanical behavior, physical metallurgy and material science and engineering books on strength of materials, structural design and materials failure. Therefore it is intended for college students and practicing engineers that are learning for the first time the mechanical behavior and failure of engineering materials or wish to deepen their understanding on these topics. The book includes specific topics seldom covered in other books, such as: how to determine a state of stress, the relation between stress definition and mechanical design, or the theory behind the methods included in industrial standards to assess defects or to determine fatigue life. The emphasis is put into the link between scientific knowledge and practical applications, including solved problems of the main topics, such as stress and strain calculation. Mohr's Circle, yield criteria, fracture mechanics, fatigue and creep life prediction. The volume covers both the original findings in the field of mechanical behavior of engineering materials, and the most recent and widely accepted theories and techniques applied to this topic. At the beginning of some selected topics that by the author's judgement are transcendental for this field of study, the prime references are given, as well as a brief biographical semblance of those who were the pioneers or original contributors. Finally, the intention of this book is to be a textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses on Mechanical Behavior, Mechanical Metallurgy and Materials Science, as well as a consulting and/or training material for practicing engineers in industry that deal with mechanical design, materials selection, material processing, structural integrity assessment, and for researchers that incursion for the first time in the topics covered in this book.

A Comprehensive and Self-Contained Treatment of the Theory and Practical Applications of Ceramic Materials When failure occurs in ceramic materials, it is often catastrophic, instantaneous, and total. Now in its Second Edition, this important book arms readers with a thorough and accurate understanding of the causes of these failures and how to design ceramics for failure avoidance. It systematically covers: Stress and strain Types of mechanical behavior Strength of defect-free solids Linear elastic fracture mechanics Measurements of elasticity, strength, and fracture toughness Subcritical crack propagation Toughening mechanisms in ceramics Effects of microstructure on toughness and strength Cyclic fatigue of ceramics Thermal stress and thermal shock in ceramics Fractography Dislocation and plastic deformation in ceramics Creep and superplasticity of ceramics Creep rupture at high temperatures and safe life design Hardness and wear And more While maintaining the first edition's reputation for being an indispensable professional resource, this new edition has been updated with sketches, explanations, figures, tables, summaries, and problem sets to make it more student-friendly as a textbook in undergraduate and graduate courses on the mechanical properties of ceramics.