Issue 48

Fracture and Structural Integrity, 48 (2019); ISSN 1971-9883

FIS Special Issue on Crack Paths

Editorial

T

he direction or path of the initial crack and its subsequent growth path in most engineering structures and components must be taken into account both in design and in the analysis of failures under static and fatigue loading. Knowledge of potential crack paths is needed for both the solution of a crack growth problem and the selection of appropriate non-destructive testing procedures. Interest on this challenging issue has steadily increased during the last few decades. This FIS special issue contains 31 selected papers which show a significant progress in the understanding of crack path behaviour and in the application of this knowledge to practical engineering problems. The papers cover a wide range of materials, such as metals (stainless steel and aluminum alloys), cementitious composites (concrete and mortar), natural stones as well as soft matter. Theoretical and numerical methods are used to investigate the materials behaviour in a wide range of scales, up to the nanoscale of a single crystal. Different experimental techniques, including for instance Digital Image Correlation, infrared thermography, ultrasonic fatigue testing, are adopted in the investigations. Understanding of the fracture behaviour of composites, layered materials and foams has also increased during last years. Authors of the selected papers come from 12 countries around the world (in alphabetical order: Austria, Brasil, Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia). Some of the papers are the result of international collaborations, with authors from more than one country. The papers have been subjected to the normal FIS review process. We thank the many anonymous reviewers who assisted us in the reviewing process.

Andrea Carpinteri, Andrea Spagnoli, Sabrina Vantadori Department of Engineering and Architecture University of Parma Parco Area delle Scienze 181/A, 43124 Parma, Italy

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