Fracture mechanics is an essential discipline for predicting the safe operating limits of structures containing flaws such as small interior or surface cracks. It is originally based on the concept of stress amplification at the crack tip, first put forth by A.A. Griffith, with improvements in its underlying scientific basis by others, notably G.R. Irwin.
Maiti’s book is an excellent overview textbook on fracture mechanics, with an emphasis on the mechanics perspective and without much emphasis on materials science. As such, it focuses on a mathematical approach to solving for the magnitudes and distributions of stresses in mechanical pieces in a wide variety of geometric configurations. The book is filled with partial differential equations, integral equations, and the occasional Jacobian matrix. There are tables listing the properties of specific metals, but no discussion or comparisons of material properties.
Coverage begins with the simplest case, which assumes the material is brittle, the concentrated stress is localized, and the stress is linearly related to strain. More complex cases are then considered as these assumptions are removed by extending calculations to nonlinear stress–strain, with plastic deformation occurring before the crack length is extended, and the distribution of stress surrounding the crack tip.
The book is divided into nine chapters. The first chapter introduces the topic of fracture mechanics, describes its applications, and sets the scope of the text. Chapter 2 describes linear elastic-fracture mechanics, its underlying theoretical basis, the stress intensity factor, and the modes that are most frequently considered in the literature (opening, sliding, and shearing modes). The analytical equations delineating the spatial distribution of the normal and shear stress fields surrounding the crack tip are the subject of chapter 3. Chapter 4 treats the impact of the crack opening displacement on the stress. Chapter 5 discusses calculation of the stress intensity factors for different modes and geometries by both analytical expressions and numerical techniques. Chapter 6 covers treatment of cases in which the applied stress and sample geometry have a combination of modes (i.e., mixed modes). Crack growth rates under fatigue, when the specimen is cyclically subjected to low stresses, are predicted in equations given in chapter 7. Chapter 8 covers elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, which has extended the original scope of fracture mechanics to predict the performance of metals. Chapter 9 describes the experimental methods for measuring the key material properties, such as the plane strain fracture toughness, the crack opening displacement, and the κ-resistance curve.
This book is well designed for a broad survey course on fracture mechanics. Each chapter contains many worked example problems and a good selection of homework problems with answers. A solution manual is available that includes images that make the major concepts clear, and there are many references to the original sources for more in-depth coverage. This book is a good introduction to fracture mechanics and is suitable for upper-level undergraduates or first-year graduate students.
Reviewer: J.H. Edgar of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Kansas State University, USA.
