Supports the use and development of strong, fracture-resistant, and mechanically reliable ceramic materials The Fracture of Brittle Materials thoroughly sets forth the key scientific and engineering concepts underlying the selection of test procedures for fracture toughness, strength determination, and reliability predictions. With this book as their guide, readers can confidently test and analyze a broad range of brittle materials in order to make the best use of existing materials as well as to support the development of new materials. The authors explain the importance of microstructure in these determinations and describe the use of quantitative fractography in failure analysis. The Fracture of Brittle Materials is relevant to a broad range of ceramic materials (i.e., any inorganic non-metal), including semiconductors, cements and concrete, oxides, carbides, and nitrides. The book covers such topics as: Basic principles of fracture mechanics underlying brittle material tests and analysis procedures Theory and mechanisms of environmentally enhanced crack growth Fracture mechanics tests to determine a material's resistance to fast fracture Test and analysis methods to assess the strength of ceramics Methods to analyze the fracture process based on quantitative measurements of the fracture surface Effect of a material's microstructure Methods for predicting the lifetime of brittle components under stress Throughout the book, figures and illustrations help readers understand key concepts and methods. Replete with real-world examples, this text enables engineers and materials and ceramics scientists to select and implement the optimal testing methods for their particular research needs and then accurately analyze the results.

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

Fractures are discussed theoretically and practically. This book represents a conscious effort on the part of the author to detail the "life" of a crack, from its inception, through its growth, to its culmination. The author is careful to define all key terms within the text, making this book an excellent reference for anyone working with brittle materials.

Fracture: An Advanced Treatise, Volume IV: Engineering Fracture Design presents the development and status of knowledge on sudden, catastrophic failure of structures due to unexpected brittle fracture of component materials. This book provides information pertinent to the engineering fracture design as well as the microscopic and macroscopic fundamentals of fracture. Organized into eight chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the evaluation of fracture tests. This text then presents an analysis of temperature effects on fracture. Other chapters consider the fracture and carrying capacity of long, slender columns and related topics. This book discusses as well the problems in connection with columns, beams, and plates, and experimental evidence to support theories proposed for describing the strength and stiffness of these elements. The final chapter presents an analysis of the problem of brittle fracture in weldments. This book is a valuable resource for engineers, students, and research workers in industrial organizations, education and research institutions, and various government agencies.

Fracture and Size Effect in Concrete and Other Quasibrittle Materials is the first in-depth text on the application of fracture mechanics to the analysis of failure in concrete structures. The book synthesizes a vast number of recent research results in the literature to provide a comprehensive treatment of the topic that does not give merely the facts - it provides true understanding. The many recent results on quasibrittle fracture and size effect, which were scattered throughout many periodicals, are compiled here in a single volume. This book presents a well-rounded discussion of the theory of size effect and scaling of failure loads in structures. The size effect, which is the most important practical manifestation of fracture behavior, has become a hot topic. It has gained prominence in current research on concrete and quasibrittle materials. The treatment of every subject in Fracture and Size Effect in Concrete and Other Quasibrittle Materials proceeds from simple to complex, from specialized to general, and is as concise as possible using the simplest level of mathematics necessary to treat the subject clearly and accurately. Whether you are an engineering student or a practicing engineer, this book provides you with a clear presentation, including full derivations and examples, from which you can gain real understanding of fracture and size effect in concrete and other quasibrittle materials.