Deformation and Fracture Mechanics play pivotal roles in advancing technology across engineering disciplines, with particular significance in aerospace and automotive engineering. This comprehensive course focuses on the fundamentals of crack initiation and propagation within engineering materials, such as metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites. After introducing linear elastic fracture mechanics, the course examines the energy criterion of fracture through the analysis of strain energy release rate (GIC) and the development of the critical stress intensity factor (KIC). Emphasis is placed on establishing the correlation between microstructure control and resistance to crack propagation. It
includes a detailed study of processes including brittle and ductile fracture, addressing time-dependent static fatigue and its implications on material integrity, along with an exploration of creep fracture and an understanding of its stress-time characteristics. The course further explores the key principles of dislocation theories, which provide insights into material behavior under plastic deformation and fostering an understanding of materials strengthening mechanisms. Students complete a case study of a real-world engineering project that applies the practical significance of deformation and fracture mechanics learned in the course.
(Lec: 3, Lab: 0, Tut: 0.5)