Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives To lead the student to an understanding of fracture at a continuum and micromechanical level and to develop the student's ability to apply this understanding in relation to the design of engineering structures.
Synopsis Micromechanics of brittle and ductile fracture. Void and crack nucleation and growth. Stress intensity factor. Thermodynamic approach to failure. Crack tip plasticity. Plane stress/plane strain. Fracture toughness testing in practice: thickness effects, test-piece geometry, testing procedures; impact testing. Statistical fracture mechanics. Notch strengthening. Energy absorption in materials. Design of structures using fracture toughness. Fractography. Deformation maps. Creep failure.
Assessment Examination: 65% + Tutorials and assignments: 30% + Practical work: 5%