Publisher's Synopsis
Damage mechanics which originally started as a phenomenological theory of damage and fracture has been reinforced logically by the help of well established theoretical frameworks of material science, nonlinear continuum mechanics, irreversible thermodynamics, micromechanics, computational mechanics, etc., and now has been established as a precise and systematic discipline for damage and fracture analysis. Mechanical failure is an important design criterion for products and components, as well as for the processes by which they are manufactured. Unexpected failure of a component (for instance part of a car) in service may cause considerable economic damage and may compromise safety. In order to avoid such premature failures, analytical and numerical models are used in the design process to predict damage resistance. Similarly, predictive analyses are used to ensure the integrity of product and tools in forming processes such as deep drawing. On the other hand, some manufacturing processes rely on the controlled development of damage, for instance in order to separate material (e.g. cutting). Damage modelling can assist in designing and optimising these processes by predicting the shape and integrity of the resulting products. This book provides the first truly comprehensive study of damage mechanics. All concepts are carefully identified and defined in micro- and macroscopic scales.
