INTRINSIC FAILURE MODES OF BRITTLE MATERIALS

The present study reviews the application of damage mechanics to the p rediction of the material failure caused by the evolving density of mi crocracks. The loss of homogeneity on the specimen size is common to a ll failure modes considered in this study. The transition between a st atistically homogeneous to a heterogeneous state of strain and damage depends on the morphology of defect clusters, state of stress, strain rate and microstructural disorder. As a result the failure can occur i n several different ways. A rich spectrum of physical phenomena and ne w concepts that emerge from these considerations demonstrates the succ esses and limitations of the traditional, deterministic, and local con tinuum models. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.