stress intensity factors

Stress intensity factors are a measure used in materials science and engineering to assess the severity of stress at the tips of cracks in materials. When a material has a crack, the stress around that crack can become very high, which may lead to further cracking or failure. The stress intensity factor quantifies this stress concentration by combining the applied load, the crack size, and the geometry of the material. This information helps engineers predict how materials will behave under stress and when they might fail, thus informing design and safety standards.