Griffith criteria

The Griffith criteria is a concept in rock and materials science that helps predict when a material will fail due to stress. It states that cracks in a material will grow if the stress acting on them exceeds a certain threshold. Essentially, it highlights the importance of crack size and the stress applied—larger cracks require less stress to grow. This principle is crucial for understanding how structures can fail and is widely used in fields like engineering, geology, and materials science to assess the integrity and safety of various materials.