These volumes constitute the Proceedings of a Symposium on the Fracture Mechanics of Ceramics, held at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, July 11, 12, and 13, 1973. The theme of the symposium focussed on the mechanical behavior of brittle ceramics in terms of the characteristics of cracks. The 52 contributed papers by 87 authors, present an overview of the cur- rent understanding of the theory and application of fracture mechan- ics to brittle ceramics. The program chairmen gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance for the Symposium provided by the Office...