FRACTURE MECHANICS

Failure of components is a matter of concern to both design engineers and materials engineers. Looking at this problem from a materials standpoint, three types of failures are of particular significance because of the frequency and, at times, unexpected behavior. These three types of failures are fatigue, stress corrosion cracking and brittle or abrupt failure. This paper is concerned with brittle failure. The situations are different, of course, in the other two cases. Brittle failure in engineering materials is generally defined as failure that takes place at applied stresses below the yield strength level of the material. Designing against this type of failure has been a very important consideration.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the Tenth Annual Railroad Engineering Conference, Depew, New York, Sept. 5-7, 1973.
• Corporate Authors:

  Dresser Transportation Equipment Division

  2 Main Street
  Depew, NY  United States  14043
• Authors:
  • Wallace, J F
• Publication Date: 1973

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: 7 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Fracture mechanics; Freight cars; Materials science
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00053853
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Dresser Transportation Equipment Division
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 26 1976 12:00AM