ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, J-integral was defined and shown to characterize the process of ductile tearing under elastic–plastic and fully plastic conditions, if certain conditions were met. Usefulness of a fracture parameter in engineering applications is dependent upon how readily it can be calculated for cracked components of different geometries and loading. Further, its magnitude should be easily measurable in test specimens used for characterizing crack growth resistance. In this chapter, we will be discussing methods commonly used for calculating and measuring the values of J-integral for a variety of geometries in test specimens and in components.
