Structures that are essential for economy and security such as energy production, transportation and supply, water supply, buildings, are susceptible to failure, because of defects already present in the material, or created at fabrication, or appearing during service. Methods of assesment of the nocivity of these defects are needed, to predict the remaining service life and the eventual emergency of stopping service and repairing, if possible. To reach this objectives, this book presents the last methods derived from the classical linear, non-linear fracture mechanics concepts, including fatigue and notch fracture mechanics. Several examples of structures rehabilitations and repairing are given.

This book gathers the presentation made during the Advanced Research Workshop held in Portoroz (Slovenia) in October 2008, under the auspices of NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme. It is edited by Professor Guy Pluvinage from the University Paul Verlaine Metz (France) and Professor Aleksandar Sedmak from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Both have a long and rich experience in analysis of theoretical and practical cases in safety and reliability of structures. Other contributors are all known as experts in the areas of fatigue, facture and reliability of structures.

Fracture mechanics and fatigue last developments Scientific analysis associated with economical analysis Practical application cases

Inhalt
Experimental and Numerical Aspects of Structure Integrity.- Fatigue Failure Risk Assessment in Load Carrying Components.- Assessment of Localised Corrosion Damaging of Welded Dissimilar Pipes.- Procedures For Structure Integrity Assessment.- Experience in Non Destructive Testing of Process Equipment.- CrackInterface Interaction in Composite Materials.- Measurement of the Resistance to Fracture Emanating from Scratches in Gas Pipes Using Non-Standard Curved Specimens.- Safe and Reliable Design Methods for Metallic Components and Structures Design Methods.- Development and Application of Crack Parameters.- Welded Joints Behaviour in Service with Special Reference to Pressure Equipment.- Security of Gas Pipelines.- Safety, Reliability and Risk. Engineering and Economical Aspects.- Assessing the Development of Fatigue Cracks: From Griffith Fundamentals to the Latest Applications in Fracture Mechanics.- Evaluation of Service Security of Steel Structures.- Fatigue Design of Notched Components by a Multiscale Approach Based on Shakedown.- Measurements for Mechanical Reliability of Thin Films.- From Macro to Meso and Nano Material Failure. Quantized Cohesive Model for Fractal Cracks.- Reparability of Damaged Fluid Transport Pipes.- Damage Control and Repair for Security of Buildings.