Many metal failures involve fracture, and fractography is an essential activity in many, if not most, failure analysis (FA) investigations. This article introduces and illustrates the role of fractography in an FA investigation. Basic guidelines are briefly presented for investigating a failure and how fractography helps the FA investigator determine evidence. Examples are given throughout this article on how the examination of fracture surfaces discerns various sources of crack initiation and mechanisms of crack growth. The procedures for analyzing fractures also include several steps and techniques that involve photographic documentation, proper specimen handling, and visual or microscopic examination. The article also briefly describes the use of metallography in fracture analysis along with case studies as illustrative examples of various fracture mechanisms and modes.

As cast iron parts are extensively applied, fracture events will eventually take place. Consequently, it becomes essential to carry out failure analyses to identify the cause of fracture and to provide corrective actions that allow safe operation. This article presents a description of the main fracture modes and their characteristic fractographic features. It discusses the four principal fracture modes: dimple rupture (or fracture), cleavage, fatigue, and intergranular fracture. The article provides information on special cases of environmentally assisted fracture. It concludes with a description of fractographic analyses for identifying the direction of propagation of a crack.

This article briefly introduces the concepts of failure analysis and root cause analysis (RCA), and the role of failure analysis as a general engineering tool for enhancing product quality and failure prevention. It reviews four fundamental categories of physical root causes, namely, design deficiencies, material defects, manufacturing/installation defects, and service life anomalies, with examples. The article describes several common charting methods that may be useful in performing an RCA. It also discusses other failure analysis tools, including review of all sources of input and information, people interviews, laboratory investigations, stress analysis, and fracture mechanics analysis. The article concludes with information on the categories of failure and failure prevention.

One of the key attributes of continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic composites (CFCCs) is their ability to undergo inelastic straining upon mechanical loading. This article reviews the mechanics of inelastic deformation and fracture of CFCCs, as needed for the development of damage-tolerant failure prediction methodologies for use in engineering design. It outlines a general framework for the description of fracture in structural materials in the presence of notches and cracks. The article describes the common classes of fracture behavior of CFCCs and presents the constitutive laws needed to describe crack-tip inelasticity. It demonstrates the effects of inelasticity on crack-tip stress fields and addresses the environmental degradation effects on damage tolerance.