elastic-plastic fracture mechanics

Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics studies how materials crack and break under stress, considering both their elastic (temporary shape change) and plastic (permanent deformation) responses. When a material has a flaw, like a crack, applied forces cause stress that may cause the crack to grow. Initially, the material behaves elastically, but as stress increases, it undergoes plastic deformation around the crack, influencing how the crack propagates. This approach helps predict failure in real-world materials that don’t behave purely elastically, allowing engineers to improve safety and design more durable structures by understanding how cracks develop and grow under complex loading conditions.