This book contains the lectures of the 5th Advanced Seminar on Fracture Mechanics (ASFM 5) held at the Joint Research Centre, Ispra, on 14-18 October 1985. The series of the ASFMs is one of the two main regularly scheduled international events sponsored by the European Group on Fracture (EGF) , alternating with the European Conferences of Fracture (ECFS). Whereas ECFs are held in a different place on even years (the last. ECF6,was in Amsterdam in June 1986), ASFMs are hosted at the JRC- Ispra on odd years. This establishment belonging to the Commission of the European Communities performs...

----- One of the arguments most frequently raised by objectors to nuclear power production is the spectrum of the hazard from the nuc.lear waste. In the public's perception one of the most dangerous features of this waste is the threat to future generations due to the long life of the radio-emitting nuclides. People's concern for this hazard seems to be greater than that for other types of toxic wastes, widely produced and released to the environment (heavy metals, PCBs, arsenic etc.) though these might last even longer. In fact public attitude toward risk depends very strongly on the nature...