Fractography: Observing, Measuring and Interpreting Fracture Surface Topography - Tapa dura

'Derek Hull expounds these components of fractography with great skill and authority. he gives equal weight to the experimental techniques and to the interpretive principles, and interweaves them so that he achieves remarkable integrity and narrative flow. Every page reveals first-hand experience. The illustrations are exemplary, and beautifully reproduced ... Lectures based on the book should engage the enthusiastic attention of every student of materials science, whether a graduate student or not ... By virtue of its elegant exposition, and the integrity of its point of view, I believe that wherever fracture, fast or slow, of whatever material, is a topic of interest, Hull's book will be an essential reference. and many scientists will be pleased to display it on their coffee-tables, alongside other equally elegant but much less profound works. It is a classic.' L. M. Brown, Contemporary Physics

'It is much-needed and beautifully done work. Any one with an interest in the topography of fracture surfaces will want to have this remarkable work - a work that deserves close study, and will, for many, uniquely fill an important need. He or she is sure to learn from it - and learn a great deal.' Current Engineering Practice

Fracture surfaces are produced by breaking a solid. The appearance of the surface, particularly the topography, depends on the type of material - metal, polymer, ceramic, biomaterial, composite, rock - and on the conditions under which it was broken - stress (tensile, shear, creep, fatigue, impact), temperature, environment (air, water, oil, acid), etc. This 1999 book describes ways of studying the surface topography, and the interpretation of the topographical features in terms of the microstructure and the way it was tested. Fractography has numerous applications in a range of materials, and is particularly relevant in materials science and to inter-disciplinary subjects involving materials science, including physics, chemistry, engineering, biomimetics, earth sciences, biology and archaeology. This book provides the basis for an understanding of deformation and fracture in all solids, for interpreting fracture surface topography, and for the design of clear and unambiguous experiments involving many aspects of fracture in a wide range of solids.