In September 2000, the University of Bayreuth, Germany, hosted the Fourth International Meeting on Thermodi?usion (IMT4). TheIMTconferenceswerebornfromtheideaofbringingtogetherresearchers in the ?eld of thermodi?usion. Under the auspices of the European Group of Research in Thermodi?usion(EGRT)theconferenceseriesstartedin1994with IMT1 in Toulouse and has been continued every other year with IMT2 (Pau, 1996), IMT3 (Mons, 1998), and IMT4 (Bayreuth, 2000). The next conference, IMT5, will be held in 2002 in Lyngby, Denmark. Thermodi?usion, alsocalledthermaldi?usionortheLudwig-Sorete?ect, -...

In this book a systematic discussion of crack problems in elastic-plastic materials is presented. The state of the art in fracture mechanics research and assessment of cracks is documented, with the help of analytic, asymptotic methods as well as finite element computations. After a brief introduction to fracture mechanics, the two-parameter concept for stationary cracks is studied in addition to the issues in three-dimensional crack fields under coupling with strong out-of-plane effects. Cracks along interfaces and crack growth problems under mixed mode conditions are also treated. A...

In this book a systematic discussion of crack problems in elastic-plastic materials is presented. The state of the art in fracture mechanics research and assessment of cracks is documented, with the help of analytic, asymptotic methods as well as finite element computations. After a brief introduction to fracture mechanics, the two-parameter concept for stationary cracks is studied in addition to the issues in three-dimensional crack fields under coupling with strong out-of-plane effects. Cracks along interfaces and crack growth problems under mixed mode conditions are also treated. A...