Fracture mechanics is an essential tool for engineers in a number of different engineering disciplines. For example, an engineer in a metals- or plastics-dependent industry might use fracture mechanics to evaluate and characterize materials, while another in aerospace or construction might use fracture mechanics-based methods for product design and service life-time estimation. This balanced treatment, which covers both applied engineering and mathematical aspects of the topic, provides a much-needed multidisciplinary treatment of the field suitable for the many diverse applications of the subject. While texts on linear elastic fracture mechanics abound, no complete treatments of the complex topic of nonlinear fracture mechanics have been available in a textbook format - until now. Written by an author with extensive industry credentials as well as academic experience, Nonlinear Fracture Mechanics for Engineers examines nonlinear fracture mechanics and its applications in mechanics, materials testing, and life prediction of components. The book includes the first-ever complete examination of creep and creep-fatigue crack growth. Examples and problems reinforce the concepts presented. A complete chapter on applications and case studies involving nonlinear fracture mechanics completes this thorough evaluation of this dynamic field of study.

This book fulfills the need for a short, modern, introductory text on linear elastic fracture mechanics and its engineering applications. Suitable for use by engineering undergraduates, and other newcomers to the subject, it:- • Explains the main ideas underlying present day linear elastic fracture mechanics and how these have been developed. • Shows how the ideas can be used to carry out calculations answering the question 'Does this crack matter?' from the viewpoint of an engineering designer. • Provides an understanding of the basis of standard methods and software employed to carry out calculations. • Includes additional, more advanced material, where this will increase understanding of the sometimes formidable mathematics involved, and of the various simplifications and approximations used in practical applications. The author includes all the material central to an undergraduate introductory course and ends each chapter with an overview of the material covered to aid accessibility. Familiarity with the mechanical properties of metallic materials, and with the linear elastic stress analysis of uncracked bodies is assumed.