ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to the study of static failure criteria and the reliability method in design. It is concerned with the failure of homogeneous and isotropic materials by yielding and fracture. Fracture is defined as the separation or fragmentation of a member into two or more pieces. In a toughness test of a given material, the stress-intensity factor at which a crack propagates is measured. This is the critical stress-intensity factor, known as the fracture toughness. The maximum shear stress theory is developed on the basis of the experimental observation that a ductile material yields as a result of slip or shear along crystalline planes. Mohr's theory of failure is employed to predict the fracture of a material with different properties in tension and compression when the results of a variety of tests are available for that material. The Coulomb–Mohr theory, may be employed to predict the effect of a given state of stress on a brittle material.
