Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

This book meets the demand for a modern handbook that would introduce readers, particularly students of technical disciplines, to linear elastic fracture mechanics. Its author, the experienced mechanical engineer L. P. Pook, aims to clarify the fundamentals of fracture mechanics methods and computational programmes. The basic concepts of linear elastic fracture mechanics are simple, but some of the mathematical methods used are highly complex, so various simplifications and approximations are employed in practical applications. At this basic level, beginners may feel that linear elastic fracture mechanics lacks a sufficient scientific foundation. The author has therefore supplemented the text with additional material addressing the numerous objections and queries raised over the years by students of his introductory courses in linear elastic fracture mechanics. Each chapter concludes with a clear summary of its contents. The reader should be familiar with the mechanical properties of metallic materials, as well as with the linear elastic stress analysis of bodies without cracks. Leslie Philip Pook (born 1935) taught at University College London, where he served as a visiting professor until 2009.