This chapter considers the role of materials in brazing operations and the manner in which they impact on the choice of processing conditions and their optimization. The concepts covered are metallurgical and mechanical constraints, and constraints imposed by the components and their solutions as well as service environment considerations.

This chapter considers the materials and processing aspects of soldering and the manner in which these interrelate in the development of joining processes. It discusses the processes involved in eliminating or suppressing metallurgical and mechanical constraints as well as constraints imposed by the components.

Engineered geometry and its microstructures impact casting performance. This chapter describes three interdependent disciplines that are needed to achieve product performance and cost targets, namely engineered geometry; target microstructure and chemistry; and optimum process for high integrity.

This chapter discusses the causes and effects of ductile and brittle fracture and their key differences. It describes the characteristics of ductile fracture, explaining how microvoids develop and coalesce into larger cavities that are rapidly pulled apart, leaving bowl-shaped voids or dimples on each side of the fracture surface. It includes SEM images showing how the cavities form, how they progress to final failure, and how dimples vary in shape based on loading conditions. The chapter, likewise, describes the characteristics of brittle fracture, explaining why it occurs and how it appears under various levels of magnification. It also discusses the ductile-to-brittle transition observed in steel, the characteristics of intergranular fracture, and the causes of embrittlement.

Fracture mechanics is a well-developed quantitative approach to the study of failures. This chapter discusses fracture toughness and fracture mechanics, linear-elastic fracture mechanics, and modes of loading. The discussion also covers plane strain and stress and crack growth kinetics. The chapter presents a case history that illustrates the use of fracture mechanics in failure analysis. An appendix provides a more detailed discussion of fracture mechanics concepts.

This chapter compares and contrasts the high-temperature behaviors of metals and composites. It describes the use of creep curves and stress-rupture testing along with the underlying mechanisms in creep deformation and elevated-temperature fracture. It also discusses creep-life prediction and related design methods and some of the factors involved in high-temperature fatigue, including creep-fatigue interaction and thermomechanical damage.

This chapter is a brief account of various factors pertinent to the development of an engineering component. The discussion covers the disciplines and interactions of design development, engineering of component design, validation of design and process analysis, and matrix of design and manufacturing elements.

This chapter discusses various types of material fracture toughness and the methods by which they are determined. It begins with a review of the basic principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics, covering the Griffith-Irwin theory of fracture, the concept of strain energy release rate, the use of fracture indices and failure criteria, and the ramifications of crack-tip plasticity in ductile and brittle fractures. It goes on to describe the different types of plain-strain and plane-stress fracture toughness, explaining how they are measured and how they are influenced by metallurgical and environmental variables and loading conditions. It also examines the crack growth resistance curves of several aluminum alloys and describes the characteristics of fracture when all or some of the applied load is in the plane of the crack.

This chapter discusses the ways in which the evolution of filament winding software systems has capitalized on the inherent flexibility of computer numerical controlled winding machines and enhanced their productivity. It provides a detailed discussion on different types of geometries that can be wound, from the simple to the highly complex, with insight into the limitations, advantages, and challenges of each. Components covered include classic axisymmetric parts (rings, pipes, driveshafts, pipe reducers, tapered shafts, closed-end pressure vessels, and storage tanks), nonround sections (aeromasts, airfoils, box sections, and fuselage sections), curved-axis parts (elbows, ducts), and special applications (tees). Basic winding concepts, such as band pattern, are discussed and explained, and some simple predictive formulae are introduced. The chapter also provides examples of programming various geometries using advanced software tools and discusses how various materials, such as rovings, tow-preg, prepreg tape, and woven materials, affect winding program generation.

Fracture mechanics is the science of predicting the load-carrying capabilities of cracked structures based on a mathematical description of the stress field surrounding the crack. The fundamental ideas stem from the work of Griffith, who demonstrated that the strain energy released upon crack extension is the driving force for fracture in a cracked material under load. This chapter provides a summary of Griffith’s work and the subsequent development of linear elastic and elastic-plastic fracture mechanics. It includes detailed illustrations and examples, familiarizing readers with the steps involved in determining strain energy release rates, stress intensity factors, J-integrals, R-curves, and crack tip opening displacement parameters. It also covers fracture toughness testing methods and the effect of measurement variables.

Fiber-reinforced metal-matrix composites have carved out a niche in applications requiring high strength to weight ratios, but they are susceptible to failure when exposed to high temperatures and cyclic loads. This chapter discusses the obstacles that must be overcome to improve the creep-fatigue behavior of these otherwise promising materials. It addresses six areas that have been the focus of intense research, including thermal-expansion and elastic-viscoplastic mismatch, thermally induced biaxiality and interply stresses, creep and cyclic relaxation of residual stresses, and enhanced interfaces for oxidation.

The key to any successful part development is the proper choice of material, process, and design matched to the part performance requirements. This article presents examples of reliable material performance indicators and common practices to avoid. Simple tools and techniques for predicting plastic part performance (stiffness, strength/impact, creep/stress relaxation, and fatigue) integrated with manufacturing concerns (flow length and cycle time) are demonstrated for design and material selection.

This appendix identifies producers, suppliers, and service providers experienced with superalloy materials and applications. It also identifies potential sources of engineering information and property data.

This article discusses the general purpose of alloying and identifies some of the material properties and behaviors that can be improved by adding various elements to the base metal. It explains how alloying can make metals stronger and more resistant to corrosion and wear as well as easier to cast, weld, form, and machine. It also discusses some of the alloying techniques that have been developed to address problems stemming from dissimilarities between the base metal and alloying or inoculate material.

This chapter focuses on tensile testing of three types of engineering components that undergo significant loading in tension, namely, threaded fasteners and bolted joints; adhesive joints; and welded joints. It describes the standardized tensile test for externally threaded fasteners and provides a brief background on relationships among torque, angle-of-turn, tension, and friction. The chapter also describes the test methods covered in the ASTM F 606M standard, namely, product hardness; proof load by length measurement, yield strength, or uniform hardness; axial tension testing of full-sized products; wedge tension testing of full-sized products; tension testing of machined test specimens; and total extension at fracture testing. Finally, the chapter covers tensile testing of adhesive and welded joints.

This chapter describes joining by forming processes including riveting, clinching, crimping, and dieless joining techniques. It also discusses the fatigue behavior of clinched joints and the results of fatigue tests that compare clinched and spot welded joints.

The testing of plastics includes a wide variety of chemical, thermal, and mechanical tests. This chapter reviews the tensile testing of plastics, which has been standardized in ASTM D 638, "Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics," and other comparable standards. It describes the fundamental factors that affect data from tensile tests, examines the stipulations in standardized tensile testing, and discusses the utilization of data from tensile tests.

This chapter gives an overview of how steel castings may be effectively adapted to modern concurrent engineering processes. The chapter discusses computer aided design programs, solid modeling, solidification simulation programs, and rapid prototyping.

A systematic procedure for minimizing risks involved in heat treated steel components requires a combination of metallurgical failure analysis and fitness for service with respect to safety and reliability based on risk analysis. This chapter begins with an overview of heat treat processing of steels. This is followed by sections on various aspects of heat treatment design and heat treating practices for minimizing distortion. Influence of design, steel grade, and condition is then illustrated in the examples of failures due to heat treatment. A procedure is analyzed to improve the performance of the design process of a component. A heat-transfer model, coupling with a phase transformation model, a thermomechanical model, and a thermochemical model, is also considered. The chapter further provides information on the failure aspects of and heat treatment procedures applied to welded components. It ends with a section on risk-based approach applicable to heat treated steel components.

As fiber-reinforced polymeric composites continue to be used in more damage-prone environments, it is necessary to understand the response of these materials when subjected to impact from foreign objects. This chapter provides an overview of the analysis methods for impact-damaged composites. It discusses the causes and effects of various failure mechanisms in composite materials. The failure mechanisms covered are brittle-matrix composite failure, tough-matrix composite failure, thermoplastic-matrix composite failure mechanisms, untoughened thermoset-matrix composite failure mechanisms, toughened thermoset-matrix composite failure mechanisms, particle interlayer-toughened composite failure mechanisms, and dispersed-phase, rubber-toughened thermoset-matrix composite failure mechanisms.