FRACTURE MECHANICS
FALL 2012
Instructor:
Prof. Min Zhou
Email: min.zhou@gatech.edu; Tel: 894-3294; Office: MRDC 4108
Office Hours:
4:00 – 5:00 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays
Teaching Intern:
Yan Li
Email: yanli@gatech.edu; Tel: 894-6603; Office: MRDC 4109
Office Hours:
4:30- 5:30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays
Text Book:
Fracture Mechanics and Applications, 2nd edition
by T.L. Anderson, CRC Press
Reference:
Elementary Engineering Fracture Mechanics, by D. Broek, Kluwer
Academic Publishers
Exams:
Midterm (Week of Oct. 8-12, 2012) + Final (Friday, Dec 14, 2:50-5:40pm)
Grading:
Homework - 30% + Midterm- 30% + Final - 40%
Fracture mechanics is the advanced study of failure of structural materials under load, mechanics
of cracks and crack development, and microscopic and macroscopic aspects of the fracture of
engineering materials.
Topics and contents:
Linear Elastic Analysis
Theoretical Strength, Stress Concentrations, Crack tip fields
Fracture Modes, Fracture Criteria
Mechanisms of Fracture and Crack Growth; Cleavage Fracture, Ductile Fracture
Elastic Crack Tip Fields
Airy Stress Function
Complex variable method
Weight Function Analysis
Fracture Criteria for Elastic Brittle Fracture
Griffith Criterion
Crack Tip Plastic Zone (Small Scale Yielding)
Irwin Correction, Dugdale Approach, Plastic Zone Shape based on K
Fracture Mechanics, M. Zhou
Energetics
Energy Release Rate, J-Integral
Plane Strain Fracture Toughness
Plane Stress and Transitional Behavior
The R-Curve
The Thickness Effect Standard Tests
Basic Elements of Elastic-Plastic Fracture
HRR Fields, J-Integral and Large Scale Yielding
Stable Crack Growth
Applications and Special Topics
Cracks in Anisotropic Solids
Interface Fracture - Composites, Bonded Joints, etc.
Stress Corrosion
Fatigue Crack Propagation
3-Dimensional Cracks
Numerical Methods
Expectations:
1. Discussions on homework and class notes are encouraged. However, exchange of written
information on homework is not permitted;
2. No late homework will be accepted except for delays due to illness or similar difficulty,
certification is required;
3. All class materials including homework and exam solutions will be posted on class web site
at: www.t-square.gatech.edu;
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