The authors have been developing a crack propagation analysis system that can deal with arbitrary shaped cracks in threedimensional solids. The system is consisting of mesh generation software, a large-scale finite element analysis program and a fracture mechanics module. To evaluate the stress intensity factors, a Virtual Crack Closure-Integral Method (VCCM) for the second-order tetrahedral fi...

Inserting a screw into a long bone introduces a stress riser that can predispose the bone to fracture. Where multiple screws are inserted this vulnerability may be increased. It is thought that the pattern of screw insertion plays an important part in determining the susceptibility of the bone to stress fracture. In order to study the importance of pattern of screw insertion, third generation c...

We present an experimental investigation of fracture in self-assembled gold nanoparticle mono- and multilayers attached to elastomer substrates and subjected to tensile stress. Imaging the fracture patterns down to the scale of single particles provides detailed information about the crack width distribution and allows us to compare the scaling of the average crack spacing as a function of stra...

Results and Conclusions: The results show that, brittle fracture is the dominant way for SiC ceramic’s removal mechanism, plastic deformation always exists during the drilling process. Brittle fracture includes cleavage fracture, transgranular fracture, intergranular fracture, material peeling off and grain boundary breakage; resintering and recrystallization happen under the joint action of gr...

The effect of loading rate on the plane stress fracture toughness properties of a 3.2-mm thick 2219-T87 aluminum alloy plate was investigated with center-cracked panels. Plane-stress J-resistance curves were generated at a constant displacement rate of 10-6 and 5.7 m s-l. Dynamic fracture testing was performed with a coupled pressure plates technique. Fracture initiation and propagation toughne...

BACKGROUND In the internal fixation of fractured bone by means of bone-plates fastened to the bone on its tensile surface, an on-going concern has been the excessive stress-shielding of the bone by the excessively-stiff stainless-steel plate. The compressive stress-shielding at the fracture-interface immediately after fracture-fixation delays callus formation and bone healing. Likewise, the ten...