Fracture Mechanics of Metals, Composites, Welds, and Bolted Joints

Written to serve as both a professional's overview of the entire field of fatigue and fracture mechanics, this book provides an introduction to the application of the Fracture Mechanics of Ductile Metals (FMDM) theory. Particular benefits include: application of fracture mechanics concepts to metallic structure, composites, welds and bolted joints; extensive discussion of two welding techniques currently used in aerospace and aircraft structure, with emphasis given to state-of-the-art friction stir welding techniques; life assessment of welded and bolted joints, with example problems; damage tolerance and durability assessment of composites; presentation of Elastic-Plastic Fracture Mechanics (EPFM); application of multi-specimen and single-specimen techniques to obtain fracture properties; and an introduction to Fracture Mechanics of Ductile Metals (FMDM) theory to determine residual strength capability of structural metals. This text presents applications of fatigue and fracture mechanics to metals and composites and also includes practical applications and example problems. It should be a useful reference for researchers, practitioners and students alike.