Fracture Modes and Appearances in Ceramics

Fractography is the means and methods for characterizing a fractured specimen or component. This includes the examination of fracture-exposed surfaces and the interpretation of the fracture markings, and the examination and interpretation of crack patterns. This article deals primarily with the first of these two parts of fractography. Techniques of fractography are presented, fracture markings are explained using glass and ceramic examples, fracture modes in ceramics are discussed, and examples of fracture origins are given.