Fracture Mechanics

Catalog description

This course focuses on the analytical techniques and applications of fracture mechanics at introductory graduate level. In particular, there is an emphasis on cracks in linear elastic and elasto-plastic materials encountered in high integrity aerospace structural applications. Topics covered will be chosen from: stress concentration and stress singularity near cracks, computation of stress intensity factors and asymptotic K fields, linear elastic fracture mechanics, energy methods, stability of crack propagation, cohesive fracture, basics of plasticity theory, plastic zone, small-scale yielding (SSY), HRR asymptotic fields, mixed mode fracture and elasto-plastic crack growth.