The papers in this volume represent a considerable cross-section of the field of fracture mechanics, a testimony to the breadth of interest that Mel and Max Williams' friends share with them. Several are expanded versions of papers that were given in special sessions honoring them at the 1997 Ninth International Conference on Fracture Mechanics in Sydney, Australia. The subjects treated in this volume can be classified as follows: dynamic fracture problems as viewed primarily from a classical continuum point of view; analysis of relatively general crack geometrics; fracture problems of...

From time to time the International Journal of Fracture has presented special matters thought to be of interest to its readers. In previous issues, for example, Dr. H.W. Liu as Guest Editor assembled a series of review papers dealing with fatigue processes and characteristics in metals and non-metals (December 1980 and April 1981). Five years ago Guest Editor W.G. Knauss collected works dealing with dynamic fracture (March and April 1985). Continuing this policy, Dr. W.G. Knauss and Dr. A.J. Rosakis of the California Institute of Technology as Guest Editors have now organized an extensive set...

The papers in this volume represent a considerable cross-section of the field of fracture mechanics, a testimony to the breadth of interest that Mel and Max Williams' friends share with them. Several are expanded versions of papers that were given in special sessions honoring them at the 1997 Ninth International Conference on Fracture Mechanics in Sydney, Australia. The subjects treated in this volume can be classified as follows: dynamic fracture problems as viewed primarily from a classical continuum point of view; analysis of relatively general crack geometrics; fracture problems...

From time to time the International Journal of Fracture has presented matters thought to be of special interest to its readers. In previous special issues (December 1980 and April 1981), Dr H.W. Liu as Guest Editor presented a series of review papers dealing with fatigue processes and characteristics in metals and non-metals. Continuing this policy, which is consistent with our stated objectives, a second review dealing with time depen dence in the fracture process, including the effect of material inertia but essentially excluding very strong shock effects in solids, has been assembled under...

From time to time the International Journal of Fracture has presented special matters thought to be of interest to its readers. In previous issues, for example, Dr. H.W. Liu as Guest Editor assembled a series of review papers dealing with fatigue processes and characteristics in metals and non-metals (December 1980 and April 1981). Five years ago Guest Editor W.G. Knauss collected works dealing with dynamic fracture (March and April 1985). Continuing this policy, Dr. W.G. Knauss and Dr. A.J. Rosakis of the California Institute of Technology as Guest Editors have now organized an extensive set...