Within the last two decades fracture theory has been one of the most rapidly advancing fields of continuous media mechanics. Noteworthy suc cess has been achieved in linear fracture mechanics where the propagation of the macrocrack in elastic materials is under study. However, fracture of materials is by no means a simple process since it involves fracture of structural elements ranging from atomic sizes to macrocracks. To obtain all information about how and why materials fail, all stages of the process must be studied. For a long time both mechanical engineers and physicists have been...

More than six years ago, several of Rabotnov's close friends and colleagues from the USSR and USA decided to contribute a volume on Plasticity and Failure of Solids in honor of his 70th birthday. The celebration was interrupted unexpectedly by his death on May 13, 1985 at which time another decision was made still to publish the work, but as a memorial volume. As in any field of scientific endeavor, research confronts the scientists with anomalies; our chosen area is no exception. The ways in which failure criteria and plasticity theory are combined can differ widely among the researchers;...