Fracture mechanics is a relatively new interdisciplinary area of materials science and engineering that quantifies the effect of cracks and other flaws on structural performance.  A fracture mechanics analysis typically addresses questions such as:

• What is the largest flaw that can be tolerated in a given structural component?
• If the flaw is below the critical size, what is the remaining life of the component?  That is, how long will it take for the flaw to grow to its critical size?
• In cases where a failure has occurred, what combination of flaw size, stress, and material toughness resulted in this event?

Quest Reliability’s expertise in fracture mechanics is unmatched by any other organization. One of our senior staff has authored the leading textbook in this field.  The combination of our thorough knowledge of the fundamental concepts and our extensive practical experience is truly unique among engineering consultants.

Quest Reliability is the industry leader in coupling fracture mechanics evaluation with advanced finite element modeling. We have given this unique capability a descriptive name:  Fracture Mechanics Simulation.  This typically entails incorporating cracks into finite element models.  In many cases, we simulate crack growth and fracture in a finite element model. Our expertise in finite element simulation of welding also comes into play because an accurate estimate of residual stresses is crucial to a fracture mechanics evaluation of a welded component.

Quest Reliability has developed state-of-the-art commercial software applications for fracture mechanics analysis, including FEACrack and Signal Fitness-For-Service™.

For further information about Fracture Mechanics Analysis, please contact us.