COURSE OUTLINE

Week Topic Remarks

1&2 Part 1 (Introduction to Materials Fracture and During this first class, the
Failure Analysis) motivation, justification, and
Introduction – Philosophy and history of benefits for studying fracture and
Fracture and Engineering Failure Studies. engineering failure analysis will be
Fundamentals of fracture – definitions, discussed.
fracture modes (ductile, brittle, mixed mode
fractures), distinguishing features and
mechanisms of the fundamental fracture
modes.
Part 2 (Fracture Mechanics)
3 Mechanics of Fracture – definition of fracture
mechanics, major subdivisions in fracture
mechanics i.e LEFM and EPFM, Pioneering
works and contributions of Griffith et al to
fracture mechanics

Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) –

4&5 use of the energy balance approach,
introduction of the critical strain energy
release rate (G1C) and its reliability as a
criterion for establishing conditions under
which crack induced fracture will occur; use of
the stress field approach, three basic modes of
separation of crack surface during loading
(mode I, mode II, mode III), introduction of the
stress intensity factor (KI) and the use of the
critical stress intensity factor (KIC, also known
as fracture toughness)as a criterion for
establishing conditions under which crack
induced fracture will occur, relationship
between the G1C and KIC; introduction and
significance of crack tip plasticity, introduction
to the concept of crack resistance (R) and
practical use of the R-curve

6&7 LEFM Testing – introduction to ASTM E399
standard for fracture toughness evaluation,
use of various specimen configurations e.g
Compact tension (CT) specimens, single edge
notched bend (SENB) specimens,
circumferential notched tensile (CNT)
specimens for plane stress and plane
strain fracture toughness evaluation.
Students would carry out practical
assignments on the evaluation of
fracture toughness of selected
materials using the CNT testing
method.

4
 8 Elastic Plastic Fracture Mechanics (EPFM) –
Introduction, history and limitations of EPFM,
the use of the J integral (J1C) and the crack tip
opening displacement (CTOD) as criteria for
evaluating propensity to crack induced
fracture under elastic-plastic conditions.
MID-SEMESTER TEST
9 & 10 PART C (Mechanisms of Fracture)
Fatigue Failure – introduction and history of
fatigue failures, introduction to terminologies
in fatigue studies, characteristics and
mechanisms of fatigue fracture, Design
against fatigue, evaluation of fatigue behaviour
(stress life-, strain life approaches),
introduction to the fracture mechanics
approach for evaluating fatigue behaviour
(fatigue crack growth rate determination),
introduction to corrosion fatigue and thermal
fatigue, Metallurgical/material factors
affecting fatigue behaviour of engineering
materials.

11 Creep failure – introduction and history of

creep, introduction to terminologies in creep
studies, introduction to the creep curve and
explanation of the mechanisms of creep, the
role of temperature and stress levels in
determining creep mechanism, design against
creep failure, metallurgical/material factors
affecting creep behaviour of engineering
materials.

12 Stress corrosion cracking (SCC)- introduction Students would learn how to design
and history of SCC, material/environment improvised testing rigs for the
combinations where SCC occurs, evaluation of the SCC of metallic
characteristics of SCC, introduction to various materials.
models of SCC mechanism, evaluating SCC
rates using time-to-failure (TTF) tests and the
fracture mechanics approach (crack growth
rate) tests, significance of the KISCC in SCC
evaluation

13&14 PART D (Engineering Failure Analysis) Students are expected to be familiar

Failure Analysis – introduction and benefits of
failure analysis, knowledge base and common
facilities required for performing failure
analysis, introduction to typical steps taken in
carrying out failure analysis, case studies of
with experimental techniques for
conducting engineering failure
analysis.

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 failures in service applications. Introduction to
fractography

15 REVISION Students’ course evaluation forms

would be administered within this
period to get student feedback on the
course studied.