Dynamic Failure of Materials: A Review

This report reviews the dynamic failure of materials. Compared to static or quasi-static failure, dynamic failure deals with the fracture process for which the effects of inertia cannot be ignored. Dynamic failure, when compared to the well-established classical fracture mechanics, is considered to be a relatively new field of study. For clarity, this report is divided into several sections. The first section is a brief historical background on the dynamic failure process, followed by a concise description of ductile fracture of homogeneous materials from the spallation and fragmentation point of view. The brittle fracture process is then briefly described from the dynamic failure point of view. Lastly, both numerical and experimental techniques used for studying dynamic failure are described. This report is not an exhaustive review on the topic of dynamic fracture but provides enough relevant information for the basic understanding of the dynamic fracture process.
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