The Engineering Treatment Model (ETM) has been developed at GKSS Research C
entre in Germany. II: consists of two handbooks for homogeneous and heterog
eneous (strength mismatched) configurations. Besides the basic approach, th
e procedure contains modules for estimating the crack tip loading from appl
ied strain and load-point displacement and for handling notched components
with shallow cracks. In this paper a brief introduction into the overall st
ructure of the ETM is given. Additionally, some validation is presented and
future perspectives are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ
ts reserved.