Fracture toughness (K_IC)
Definition
The critical stress intensity factor measured under plane-strain conditions. It is a material property representing the maximum K a component can tolerate before fast fracture; lower values indicate a more brittle material.
Related terms
- Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM)
- The extension of fracture mechanics to ductile materials where significant plasticity occurs before fracture. The J-integral and crack tip opening displacement (CTOD)...
- Griffith criterion
- The energy-balance condition derived by A.A. Griffith in 1921: a crack extends when the elastic strain energy released per unit area of...
- Linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM)
- The branch of fracture mechanics valid when the plastic zone at the crack tip is small relative to the crack length and...
- Plane stress vs. plane strain
- In thin sections the crack-tip region contracts freely in the thickness direction (plane stress), giving higher apparent toughness. In thick sections that...
- Stress intensity factor (K)
- A parameter, in MPa√m, describing the amplitude of the stress field near a crack tip for a given geometry and load. When...
Explained in
- Fracture Mechanics FundamentalsThe critical stress intensity factor measured under plane-strain conditions. It is a material property representing the maximum K a component can tolerate befo...