MECH ENG 4120 - Fracture Mechanics

North Terrace Campus - Summer - 2016

The course information on this page is being finalised for 2016. Please check again before classes commence.

The focus of this course is to develop an understanding of the mechanics of fracture of engineering materials and structures under static and dynamic loading. Students will be taught the principles of linear elastic and elastic-plastic fracture mechanics and their application to engineering design. This course will also introduce key applications of fracture mechanics in industry including damage detection, failure analysis, and experimental techniques.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code MECH ENG 4120
    Course Fracture Mechanics
    Coordinating Unit School of Mechanical Engineering
    Term Summer
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 4 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assumed Knowledge MATHS 2202, MECH ENG 2002 & MECH ENG 3030 (or equivalent)
    Course Description The focus of this course is to develop an understanding of the mechanics of fracture of engineering materials and structures under static and dynamic loading. Students will be taught the principles of linear elastic and elastic-plastic fracture mechanics and their application to engineering design. This course will also introduce key applications of fracture mechanics in industry including damage detection, failure analysis, and experimental techniques.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Professor Andrei Kotousov

    Course Coordinator: A/Prof Andrei Kotousov

    Lecturers: Mr Aditya Khanna and A/Prof Andrei Kotousov

    Teaching Assistants: Mr Zhuang He and Mr Anthony Roccisano

    Student and Program Support Officer: Ms Tracy Miller

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    The classes for this course will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays over a six week period. The
    general schedule is as follows:

    Mon & Wed
    only
    Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6
    4/1 - 8/1 11/1 - 15/1 18/1 - 22/1 25/1 - 29/1 1/2 - 5/2 8/2 - 12/2
    9am - 11am Lecture
    EM205
    Lecture
    EM205
    Lecture
    EM205
    Lecture
    EM205
    Lecture
    EM205
    Lecture
    EM205
    12pm - 2pm Tutorial
    EM205
    Tutorial
    EM205
    Tutorial
    EM205
    Tutorial
    EM205
    Tutorial
    EM205
    Tutorial
    EM205
    3pm - 5pm - - - Lab session
    S237
    Lab session
    S237
    Lab session
    S237

    The three laboratory sessions will be repeats and students only need to attend one of the sessions. Each of these lab sessions runs over two days (Monday and Wednesday of the same week).
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    The aim of this course is to develop an understanding of the mechanics of fracture of engineering materials and structures under static and dynamic loading. This understanding is essential for the assessment of integrity and durability of structures and structural components in the presence of structural defects, so as to ensure reliability and safety. At the completion of the course, students will:

    1 Have a solid foundation in the theory, concepts and principles of fracture mechanics,
    2 Be gaining the physical intuition necessary to idealise a complicated practical problem,
    3 Possess the analytical and computational tools needed to solve the idealised problem,
    4 Have acquired the judgment required to interpret the results of these solutions,
    5 Be able to use these solutions to guide a corresponding design, manufacture, or failure analysis and,
    6 Be able to work independently and as part of a team in order to implement their skills and knowledge in both theoretical and practical applications.
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    Extensive lecture notes are provided. The purchase of text-books is not necessary for the successful completion of this course though it is encouraged for extra learning.

    Electronic copies of the lecture notes as well as any additional material provided in-class will be available through the online myuni system.

    Recommended Resources

    Many suitable text-books are available for further reading through the University of Adelaide Library, and are available for purchase from text-book suppliers.

    Recommended reading:

    • Anderson, T.L. Fracture Mechanics – Fundamentals and Applications. CRC Press.
    • Janssen, M., Zuidema, J., Wanhill, R. Fracture Mechanics. Spon Press.
    Online Learning

    Electronic copies of the lecture notes as well as any additional material provided in-class will be available through the online myuni system. Extended study material will also be provided through the online system for students keen to gain further knowledge and application.

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    No information currently available.

    Workload

    No information currently available.

    Learning Activities Summary
    A weekly summary of the course delivery is as follows:

    Week 1: Advanced topics in Solid Mechanics

    • Basic concepts and governing equations of plane elasticity
    • Experimental strain measurements (strain gauge, DIC, TSA)
    • Airy Stress Function
    • Williams’ solutions for stresses near the crack tip
    • The stress intensity factor (SIF) and notch stress intensity factor (NSIF)
    • Composites and free from singularities design concept

    Week 2: Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

    • Methods of determining SIF
    • Energy release rate (ERR)
    • J – integral
    • Relationship between the SIF, ERR and J – integral
    • Fracture toughness and brittle fracture criteria
    • Mixed mode fracture

    Week 3: Crack tip plasticity effects

    • Common yield criteria
    • Constitutive relationships in plasticity
    • Irwin’s adjusted SIF approach
    • The Dugdale model and crack tip opening displacement
    • Crack tip opening angle
    • J – integral

    Week 4: Elastic-Plastic fracture criteria

    • Experimental methods for evaluation of fracture toughness
    • K-resistance curve approach
    • J-resistance curves
    • FAD and Standards

    Week 5: Fatigue and Stress Corrosion

    • Fatigue mechanisms in metals
    • Fatigue crack propagation
    • Factors influencing fatigue crack growth
    • Plasticity effect in fatigue
    • Stress corrosion and creep cracking
    • Damage tolerance concept
    • Lifetime assessment of structures

    Week 6: Introduction to non-destructive testing and failure analysis

    • Traditional methods of non-destructive defect detection and evaluation
    • Lamb waves
    • Purpose of failure analysis
    • Causes of failure
    • Carrying out failure investigations
    • Applications and current research

    Laboratory sessions

    Students will be introduced to experimental methods for evaluating strain, SIF and fracture toughness as well as damage detection techniques. Students will also participate in computer lab sessions focusing on the application of FE method to fracture problems.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Component Weighting
    In-class quizzes (x3)   6%
    Assignments (x3) 24%
    Lab report 10%
    Final exam 60%
    Assessment Detail

    No information currently available.

    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
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