Foreword

ASM Handbook, Volume 12, Fractography is a revision of the volume of the same title published by ASM International in 1987. However, unlike the 1987 edition, which contained a number of text articles and an atlas of fractographs, the 2024 edition is dedicated solely to presenting comprehensive, materials-centric articles on the subject, with fractographic images supporting and explaining the contents. A completely separate volume, ASM Handbook, Volume 12A, Atlas of Fractographs, containing significantly expanded coverage of material fractographs, compared to the 1987 edition, is expected to be published as its companion volume in 2025.

This evolution is notable, as it represents a significant increase in the coverage of fractography by ASM International in its ASM Handbook series. The expansion of one volume into two was necessitated by the addition of two full divisions of materials-centric articles that were not in the 1987 edition. These two new divisions, Fractography of Metals and Alloys, and Fractography of Nonmetallic Engineering Materials, provide in-depth coverage of the fractography of cast irons, carbon and alloy steels, ferrous powders, tool and bearing steels, stainless steels, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, titanium alloys, nitinol, weldments, solder joints, polymers, polymer-matrix composites, ceramics, and concrete.

Volume editors Craig J. Schroeder, EFI Global Inc.; Ronald J. Parrington, Applied Technical Services (ATS); Joseph O. Maciejewski, Novelis; and James F. Lane, Rimkus gathered the leading fractography experts worldwide to contribute and peer review articles for this, the most comprehensive, up-to-date publication in ASM’s library on the subject. It is a valuable addition for any scientist or practitioner seeking to understand the fractography of materials.