MEEM 6130 – Engineering Fracture Mechanics
Department of Mechanical Engineering - Engineering Mechanics
Michigan Technological University
  Spring 2011

Instructor: Dr. Gregory M. Odegard
Office: MEEM 930
Phone: (906)487-2329
Email: gmodegar@mtu.edu
Classroom: Rehki G06
Time: T, Th 9:35-10:50 am
Office hours: Generally, my door is open all week.  You can contact me by email to schedule an appointment.
Materials: The lecture notes, assignments, and additional material is available via Blackboard

Prerequisite courses:

MEEM 5110 - Continuum Mechanics/Elasticity

Required text:
Anderson, T.L. “Fracture Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications”, Third Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2005

References:
Lectures:
Lectures will consist of material taken from the required textbook as well as from other sources.  PDF files of the lecture notes are provided via Blackboard.

Homework:

No late homework will be accepted.  Students are encouraged to work with others to complete homework assignments, however, all work turned in must be original, not a simple copy of someone else’s work.  Such copying with be considered as a breach of academic honesty and appropriate action will be taken. Homework assignments must be stapled together for credit (no paper clips or fold-overs).  For each problem, the following items are required for full credit:

No partial credit for homework problems will be given.  Students may resubmit homework problems for full credit as long as the original homework is turned in to the instructor by the due date.  The students are advised to get full credit for each homework problem as the solutions will not be posted.
Exams:
The two exams will cover material from the homework problems and from the lectures.  No final exam will be given. Exam dates:
Project:
Students will be required to prepare a written report and a brief oral presentation on a specialized topic in fracture mechanics.  The students are expected to conduct a full literature review and report the most recent advances in the specific field.  The written reports and oral presentations will be graded on technical content and overall quality.  The written report must follow the style specified by the instructor.  The project topic can be related to your graduate research or another area of significant interest in fracture mechanics.  Topics must be approved by the instructor.  Key dates:
Tentative Grading:
Homework: 25%
1st exam: 25%
2nd exam: 25%
Project: 25%

Tentative Course Topics:

1.   Linear-elastic fracture
2.   Elastic-Plastic fracture
3.   Dynamic fracture
4.   Time-dependent fracture
5.   Fracture mechanisms in metals, ceramics, and polymers
6.   Fatigue
7.   Experimental fracture mechanics
8.   Computational fracture mechanics