IPM - Brittle Fracture Group

Introduction

Arising from the extensive long-term experiences and previous fruitful and internationally acknowledged activity in this field the group investigates the problems associated with strength and fracture behaviour of engineering materials leading to explanation of physical nature of phenomena observed. Major attention is given to quantitative assessment and predictions of microstructure - property relationships in both the structural steels and the advanced materials. For the recent research activity of the group having theoretical, computational and experimental nature the following main areas of interests are characteristic:

In the field of experimental fracture mechanics and brittle fracture of steels the study of phenomena is in focus of interests rather than particular steel itself:

Micromechanisms of brittle failures, relationships to microstructural parameters. Transition behaviour of fracture toughness characteristics, the temperature and strain rate effects.
Micromechanical aspects of brittle fracture initiation. Accurate characterisation of crack tip phenomena and their relations to macroscopic fracture characteristics, the crack tip constraint effects.
Local approach (deterministic, stochastic) in the assessment of brittle failures and fracture toughness prediction. Cleavage (critical) fracture stress, its physical nature and role.
Technological and operational degradation in low alloy (creep resistant) steels, microstructural and micromechanical properties controling the phenomenas.
Fracture behaviour and nature of toughness of heterogeneous martensite in low alloyed steels.

Fracture of advanced materials. New direction, currently based on grant projects, is focused on study of new types of advanced materials with an interdisciplinary approach. Materials and their fracture behaviour are supposed to be the preferred topics in this field:

Strain and fracture behaviour of an in situ composites. Low temperature toughness and fracture of duplex stainless steels, ageing and strain rate effects.
Brittleness and toughening mechanisms in ceramics. Development of advanced methods for fracture toughness determination for brittle materials.
The failure micromechanisms and fracture characteristics of glass ceramics reinforced by metal particles and/or SiC fibres.

Last update
12. 11. 2009