ABSTRACT
Fracture mechanics was fi rst applied by A. A. Griffi th (1921) as an approach to the analysis and evaluation of the material’s behaviour. For the basic principles of fracture mechanics and its present development, the reader is referred to one of a number of available books and manuals: Anderson (2005). It is suffi cient here to recall a few of the most important notions necessary for considerations of the brittle matrix composites.
