An assessment is made here of the role played by the micropolar continuum theory on the cracked Brazilian disc test used for determining rock fracture toughness. By analytically solving the corresponding mixed boundary-value problems and employing singular-perturbation arguments, we provide closed-form expressions for the energy release rate and the corresponding stress-intensity factors for bo...

Recently, a new generation of titanium aluminide alloy named Gamma-Met PX (GKSS, Geesthacht, Germany) has been developed with better rolling and postrolling characteristics. Previous work on this alloy has shown the material to have higher strengths at room and elevated temperatures when compared with other gamma titanium aluminides. In particular, this new alloy has shown increased ductility a...

This study outlines a new method for disposing of hazardous (e.g., nuclear) waste. The technique is called Abyssal Sequestration, and it involves placing the waste at extreme depths in Earth’s crust where it could achieve the geologically long period of isolation. Abyssal Sequestration involves storing the waste in hydraulic fractures driven by gravity, a process we term as gravity fracturing. ...

Lightweight advanced high strength steels (AHSS) with aluminum contents between 4 and 12 weight percent have been the subject of intense interest in the last decade because of an excellent combination of high strain rate toughness coupled with up to a 17% reduction in density. Fully austenitic cast steels with a nominal composition of Fe-30%Mn-9%Al-0.9%C are almost 15% less dense than quenched ...

Although clinical bone fractures occur predominantly under impact loading (as occurs during sporting accidents, falls, high-speed impacts or other catastrophic events), experimentally validated studies on the dynamic fracture behavior of bone, at the loading rates associated with such events, remain limited. In this study, a series of tests were performed on femoral specimens obtained post-mort...

Brittle materials such as rock and ceramic usually exhibit apparent increases of strength and toughness when subjected to dynamic loading. The reasons for this phenomenon are not yet well understood, although a number of hypotheses have been proposed. Based on dynamic fracture mechanics, the present work offers an alternate insight into the dynamic behaviors of brittle materials. Firstly, a sin...

The effects of silicon (Si) on the mechanical properties and fracture toughness of heavy-section ductile cast iron were investigated to develop material for spent-nuclear-fuel containers. Two castings with different Si contents of 1.78 wt.% and 2.74 wt.% were prepared. Four positions in the castings from the edge to the center, with different solidification cooling rates, were chosen for micros...