Fracture Mechanics – Theory, Modeling and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The field of fracture mechanics developed during the throes of World War II and since then it has been a very active area of research. This is a very energetic and vibrant field because fracture processes are relevant for a vast range of engineering applications spanning different temporal and length scales. Depending on the application, material fracture and fragmentation may be either a desirable feature (for example, for the purpose of hydraulic fracturing operations), or something that is to be avoided at all costs (for example, in key components of mechanical systems). In some other instances, fractures are already present and must be accommodated for through novel design (for example, in the case of earthquake ruptures occurring in the Earth’s crust). Because of this wide spectra of motivation, there is a continuous need for the fracture mechanics research community to gain more insight on how fractures are created, evolve, and interact with themselves and with material microstructures. In addition, there are still many remaining questions about how fracture propagation, growth, and interaction impact overall material behavior, and how to develop accurate models to predict this behavior.

This Special Issue focuses on gathering the latest advances on the theoretical, numerical, and application-based fronts for the study of fracture initiation, propagation, arrest, interaction, and fragmentation in engineering materials in general, including but not limited to ceramics, geo-materials, granular materials, and metals. Original contributions from engineers, mechanical materials scientists, computer scientists, physicists, chemists, and mathematicians are encouraged. Both experimental and theoretical papers are welcome.

Dr. Esteban Rougier
Dr. Abigail Hunter
Guest Editors

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