Fracture Behaviour of Structural Materials

Dear Colleagues,

In the development of new (advanced) materials, fracture resistance characteristics, morphology of the fracture surfaces, and quantitative effects of the individual microstructural constituents on these characteristics are often crucial in assessing the applicability of the material in appropriate structural applications. Fracture surfaces of mechanical test specimens (e.g., after fracture toughness tests) and/or components can be considered a "reading book" on the microstructural state of the material, its performance under mechanical loading, and the strength-to-toughness trade off. Understanding the phenomena of failure of materials enables the improvement of mechanical properties through the use of new manufacturing technologies, including additive technology, or through the invention of new materials that meet the desired requirements.

For advanced materials, when using both traditional ferrous and non-ferrous alloys, such an approach can only provide tools for their further development and optimisation. For advanced types of multi-materials (e.g., materials with internal architecture), when using various metal matrix composites, etc., such an approach can also be successfully applied, even though the fracture performance and corresponding fracture properties have been shown to be different from traditional materials. For conventional structural materials, especially when recycling scrap, this means that the effect of impurities and non-metallic inclusions must be investigated. Therefore, it seems necessary to investigate the micromechanisms and micromechanics of fracture in the context of microstructure and to further develop a methodology for such approaches.

The aim of this Special Issue, titled "Fracture Behaviour of Structural Materials", is therefore to summarise the findings in this field obtained with different metallic materials and metal-matrix composites, each with an emphasis on accurate interpretation and also with an attempt/suggestion to generalise and/or transfer the findings to materials other than those covered in the respective paper. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a collection of contributions on case studies, recent findings, and advancements, and to highlight new trends in the field of fracture with particular emphasis on the micromechanisms (and micromechanics) of fracture.

Of great interest are original articles, communications, as well as review articles describing the current state of research in the indicated field.

Prof. Dr. Ivo Dlouhý
Guest Editor

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