MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

EMA 6715(7402) - FRACTURE OF BRITTLE MATERIALS
3 Credits T 4, R 4-5

Catalog Description: Concepts in the deformation, fracture, and toughening
of brittle materials. The application of fracture mechanics and fractals to
the failure of brittle materials.

Textbook(s): D. J. Green, An Introduction To The Mechanical Properties of Ceramics, 1998; Class Notes, J. J. Mecholsky, Jr., distributed

Textbook Errata

References: B. Lawn, Fracture of Brittle Solids, Cambridge Solid State
Science Series, 1996; Frechette, V. D., Failure Analysis of Brittle Materials, Adv. in
Ceramics 28, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, OH (1990);
Davidge, R. W., Mechanical Behavior of Ceramics, Cambridge University Press, London, UK (1986).
Russ, J., Fractal Surfaces, Plenum Press (1994).

Professor: J. J. Mecholsky, Professor
(352) 846-3306
100A Rhines Hall
jmech@mse.ufl.edu

Prerequisites by Topics: EMA 4223, EGM 3520, or equivalent

Goals: To familiarize the student with the application of fracture mechanics
to the fracture of brittle materials; the use of quantitative fractography
in failure analysis, of scaling concepts in fracture and the effect of
microstructure on the application of fracture mechanics and quantitative fractography. The intention is to enable the student to apply these concepts to their projects.

Topics:
1. Background - Structural Ceramics.
2. Elastic Deformation - Hooke's Law.
3. Elasticity - Stress, strain and tensor transformations
4. Generalized Hooke's Law, elastic constants, anisotropic elasticity, single crystals, and mixing rules.
5. Atomic bonding, structure and structural behavior.
6. Elasticity problems.
3. Fracture - fracture mechanics (LEFM) principles, mixed mode fracture,
measurements of fracture toughness, fracture surface analysis (FSA)
fractography and relationship between FSA and LEFM.
4. Stress corrosion - Wiederhorn stress intensity approach,
Michalske-Freiman theory, application of fractography and measurement
techniques.
5. Reliability (statistical theories of fracture) - Weibull statistics,
proof testing and lifetime predictions.
6. Mechanisms of Toughening - transformation toughening, crack deflection,
crack bridging and shielding, particulate and fiber reinforcement.
7. Effects of microstructure on fracture.
8. Fractal processes in fracture
9. Contact damage, indentation and impact.
10. Viscosity & Viscoelasticity.

Project(s): One proposal for research in mechanical behavior.

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