In this book the authors focus on the description of the physical nature of cleavage fracture to offer scientists, engineers and students a comprehensive physical model which vividly describes the cleavage microcracking processes operating on the local (microscopic) scale ahead of a defect. The descriptions of the critical event and the criteria for cleavage fracture will instruct readers in how to control the cleavage processes and optimize microstructure to improve fracture toughness of metallic materials. - Physical (mechanical) processes of cleavage fracture operating on the local (microscopic) scale, with the focus on the crack nucleation and crack propagation across the particle/grain and grain/grain boundaries - Critical event, i.e., the stage of greatest difficulty in forming the microcrack, which controls the cleavage fracture - Criteria triggering the cleavage microcracking with incorporation of the actions of macroscopic loading environment into the physical model - Effects of microstructure on the cleavage fracture, including the effects of grain size, second phase particles and boundary - Comprehensive description of the brittle fracture emerging in TiAl alloys and TiNi memory alloys

An account of the recent developments in research into ductile fracture in metals and alloys. Aspects covered include localized fracture at the root of notches and sharp cracks, and fracture in bulk plastic-deformation processes of the metal and metal forming type. Also discusses various theoretical

"This book emphasizes the physical and practical aspects of fatigue and fracture. It covers mechanical properties of materials, differences between ductile and brittle fractures, fracture mechanics, the basics of fatigue, structural joints, high temperature failures, wear, environmentally-induced failures, and steps in the failure analysis process."--publishers website.

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.

This comprehensive overview of the whole field of fatigue and fracture of metallic materials covers both the theoretical background and some of the latest experimental techniques. It provides a summary of the complex interactions between material microstructure and cracks, classifying them with respect to the overall damage process with a focus on microstructurally short cracks and dynamic embrittlement. It furthermore introduces new concepts for the numerical treatment of fatigue microcrack propagation and their implementation in fatigue-life prediction models.This comprehensive overview of the whole field of fatigue and fracture of metallic materials covers both the theoretical background and the latest experimental techniques. It provides a summary of the complex interactions between material microstructure and cracks, classifying them with respect to the overall damage process. It furthermore introduces new concepts for the numerical treatment of fatigue microcrack propagation and their implementation in fatigue-life prediction models.