Indentation Fracture: Strength and Toughness of Brittle Materials in Design

＂The goal of this book is to increase the utilization of glasses, ceramics, semiconductors, and similar brittle materials in load-bearing applications by demonstrating experimental indentation techniques to better characterize fracture. By using existing analyses, the major structural properties of brittle materials--strength and toughness--can be simply and easily compared and ranked, thus facilitating the use of such materials. The techniques demonstrated will enable better design, manufacture, performance, and reliability of brittle materials for use as elements in structural components. A primary focus of the book therefore is demonstration of controlled flaw indentation-strength measurements＂--

Robert F. Cook, PhD, is a former NIST Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, and an independent scientist. He was a 2008 recipient of a U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal for Scientific/Engineering Achievement and is the author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications, 16 patents, and the book Particle Strengths.