---

Course Overview

Fracture mechanics is a methodology that is used to predict and diagnose failure of a part with an existing crack or flaw. The presence of a crack in a part magnifies the stress in the vicinity of the crack and may result in failure prior to that predicted using traditional strength-of-materials methods.

This course discusses:

• Stress concentrations around cracks
• Modes of loading
• Stress intensity factor
• Fracture toughness
• Initial crack size
• Plastic zone size for plane-stress and plane-strain
• Ductile vs. brittle fracture
• Static fracture analysis methods, including:
  • Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM)
  • Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD)
  • Residual Strength Curve
• Brief introduction to fatigue crack growth

Course Content

Quiz

After you pass the quiz, you will receive a certificate of completion, which you may access within your Account page. You may present this certificate to your state licensing board as proof of course completion.