Brittle Fracture of Materials

Course Outline

Engineers, architects and contractors can use this course as a necessary training material to ensure a basic understanding of the brittle and ductile fracture of materials or as a supplement to the course M153 - Fundamentals of Material Science. This course explains how to identify the mode of the fracture and how to prevent the brittle fracture. The course materials are based entirely on Module 4 - Brittle Fracture in Volume 2 of the U.S. Department of Energy's Fundamentals Handbook - Material Science.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Define ductile and brittle fracture;
• Identify the causes of brittle fracture;
• Understand crack initiation and propagation; and
• Understand conditions that can prevent brittle fracture.
  

Course Content

In this course, you are required to study the first section (Brittle Fracture Mechanism) of Module 4 in Volume 2 of U.S. DOE Fundamentals Handbook - Material Science.

Fundamentals Handbook - Material Science (Module 4, Volume 2) (1993 edition, 11 pages, PDF file).

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study.

The following contains the outline of the first section of Module 4 in Volume 2 of the DOE Fundamentals Handbook - Material Science:

• ABSTRACT
• FOREWORD
• OVERVIEW
• Module 1 Structure of Metals
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
  • LIST OF FIGURES
  • LIST OF TABLES
  • REFERENCES
  • OBJECTIVES
  • BRITTLE FRACTURE MECHANISM
    • Brittle Fracture Mechanism
    • Stress-Temperature Curves
    • Crack Initiation and Propagation
    • Fracture Toughness
    • Summary

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

Fracture Mechanics - Chapter 2: Mechanics of Fracture & Crack Growth
Mechanical Failure - Slide Show
Materials Science Resources on the Web
ASM (American Society for Metals) International

Once you finish studying the above course content you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

---

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.org or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

---