CRACK SCIENCE

The article is a brief version of a paper at the Second Meeting of Rus sian Metal Scientists (Penza, 1994) which explains many known facts an d assumptions. For brittle materials with high strength (high plastic deformation resistance) of particular importance is the almost unavoid able presence in them of defects in the form of cracks. From this posi tion emerges the not altogether normal title of the article, i.e., 'Cr ack Science.' This branch of knowledge should be considered as part of 'Metal Science.' There is very little experimental data in crack scie nce (almost always authors are limited to assumptions) and obtaining t hem leads to the problem of metal strength at a higher level.