In recent years the effort devoted to assuring both the safety and reliability of commercial nuclear fission power reactors has markedly increased. The incentives for performing this work are large since the resulting im provement in plant productivity translates into lower fuel costs and, more importantly, reduced reliance on imported oil. Reliability and availability of nuclear power plants, whether fission or fusion, demand that more attention be focused on the behavior of materials. Recent experiences with fission power indicate that the basic properties of materials, which categorize their reliable behavior under specified conditions, need reinforcement to assure trouble-free operation for the expected service life. The pursuit of additional information con tinues to demand a better understanding of some of the observed anom alous behavior, and of the margin of resistance of materials to unpre dictable service conditions. It is also apparent that, next to plasma heating and confinement, materials selection represents the most serious chal lenge to the introduction of fusion power. The recognition of the importance of materials performance to nu clear plant performance has sustained a multimillion dollar worldwide research and development effort that has yielded significant results, both in quantification of the performance limits of materials in current use and the development and qualification of new materials. Most of this infor mation appears in the open literature in the form of research reports, journal articles, and conference proceedings.

The aim of this major reference work is to provide a first point of entry to the literature for the researchers in any field relating to structural integrity in the form of a definitive research/reference tool which links the various sub-disciplines that comprise the whole of structural integrity. Special emphasis will be given to the interaction between mechanics and materials and structural integrity applications. Because of the interdisciplinary and applied nature of the work, it will be of interest to mechanical engineers and materials scientists from both academic and industrial backgrounds including bioengineering, interface engineering and nanotechnology. The scope of this work encompasses, but is not restricted to: fracture mechanics, fatigue, creep, materials, dynamics, environmental degradation, numerical methods, failure mechanisms and damage mechanics, interfacial fracture and nano-technology, structural analysis, surface behaviour and heart valves. The structures under consideration include: pressure vessels and piping, off-shore structures, gas installations and pipelines, chemical plants, aircraft, railways, bridges, plates and shells, electronic circuits, interfaces, nanotechnology, artificial organs, biomaterial prostheses, cast structures, mining... and more. Case studies will form an integral part of the work.