ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the results of the systematic studies of the strength of the bulk samples with thickness do > 50 /nm are discussed. As was shown in the preceding chapter, such materials belong to the low-strength materials and their fracture is controlled by the growth of microcracks existing in the sample prior to loading. Strength and lifetime distributions of the bulk samples are symmetric and unimodal. In Chapters 1 and 3, the fundamentals of the fracture theory for lowstrength materials are discussed.
