The Theory of Materials Failure

Richard M. Christensen has over many years held positions of responsibility in industry, national laboratories, and academia. He has always been active in professional affairs and has held several leadership positions in professional societies. His technical responsibilities and research interests have been in the mechanics of materials for solids, structures, and non-Newtonian fluids. He holds five patents, has written two books and 100 archive journal papers. These are on the following and related topics: properties of polymers (viscoelasticity), composite materials, wave effects in heterogeneous materials, low density materials (extreme porosity), kinetic crack growth, life prediction and durability, failure criteria for isotropic and anisotropic solids.

1: The perspective on failure and direction of approach
2: History, conditions, and requirements
3: Isotropic baselines
4: The failure theory for isotropic materials
5: Isotropic materials failure behavior
6: Experimental and theoretical evaluation
7: Isotropic materials failure examples
8: The ductile/brittle transition for isotropic materials
9: Defining yield stress and failure stress (strength)
10: Fracture mechanics
11: Anisotropic, unidirectional fiber composites failure
12: Anisotropic, fiber composite laminates failure
13: Micromechanics failure analysis
14: Nanomechanics failure analysis
15: Damage, cumulative damage, creep, and fatigue failure
16: Probabilistic failure and probabilistic life prediction