The ideal structural steel combines high strength with high fracture toughness. This dissertation discusses the governing principles of strength and toughness, along with the approaches that can be used to improve these properties and the inherent limits to how strong and tough a steel can be.

As the shift from the Metal Age progresses, materials engineers and materials scientists seek new analytical and design methods to create stronger and more reliable materials. Based on extensive research and developmental work done at the author’s multi-disciplinary material laboratory, this graduate-level and professional reference addresses the relationship between fracture mechanisms (macroscale) and the microscopic, with the goal of explaining macroscopic fracture behavior based on a microscopic fracture mechanism. A careful fusion of mechanics and materials science, this text and monograph systematically considers an array of materials, from metals through ceramics and polymers, and demonstrates lab-tested strategies to develop desirable high-temperature materials for technological applications.

The Memorandum discusses the current situation on the inclusion of fracture-toughness testing requirements in specifications for high-strength steels used for military applications. The Memorandum was prepared at the request of The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP), and contains information from Canadian and British members of that program, as well as U.S. information. Military applications discussed include missile motor cases, aircraft landing gear, gun tubes, armor plate, and hydrofoils. (Author).