Analysis of Crack Initiation in Structures

Abstract

The fundamental reason for studing damage mechanics is to understand why and how materials break. Together with physics, metallurgy and chemistry this knowledge allows us to improve the mechanical properties of materials and to design new multimaterials. The practical reason for studing damage mechanics is to predict when materials, as they are currently made, will break upon submission to mechanical and thermal loading. This involves the analysis of real components of structures in real or presumed situations.