Almost all books available on fracture mechanics cover the majority of topics presented in this book, and often much, much more. While great as references, this makes teaching from them more difficult because the materials are not typically presented in the order that most professors cover them in their lectures and more than half the information presented is not covered in an introductory course at all.

Focusing on the needs of students and professors, Fundamentals of Fracture Mechanics offers an introduction to the discipline through careful editing and mindfulness toward the audience. The book begins with a review of the fundamentals of continuum mechanics and the theory of elasticity relevant to fracture mechanics. The following material has been carefully selected, only including topics important enough to be covered in a first course on fracture mechanics. Except for the last chapter, no advanced topics are covered. Therefore, instructors of elementary fracture mechanics courses can easily cover the entire book in a three-unit graduate-level course without having to spend too much time picking and choosing appropriate topics for the course from the vast knowledge presented in most fracture mechanic books available today.

Drawing on over 20 years of teaching, the author supplies practical and useful resources, including practice exercises designed to facilitate enjoyable learning and reference for further study. His clear, concise coverage of essential information makes the book ideal not only for an introductory course but also for self-study.