Short Courses - Fracture Analysis and Failure Prevention
of Glasses and Ceramics
June 19-22, 2012 - THIS COURSE IS FULL, TO BE PUTTING ON A WAITING LIST PLEASE CALL MARLENE WIGHTMAN (607.871.2425)

Who Attends
Engineers, scientists and technicians interested in strength and fracture-mechanics testing, fracture issues related to process development or control, failure analysis (during production, testing, or service), and failure prevention. Class limit of 18. Reserve Early.

Course Description
This course covers the examination and interpretation of markings on fracture-exposed surfaces of glasses and polycrystalline ceramics, and the analysis of crack systems, i.e., fractography. Further, it covers using fractography in failure analysis, strength testing, and fracture-mechanics testing. The mechanisms by which fracture markings are produced will be explained, and the information provided by the markings (e.g., in estimating stress at failure, in making measurements for fracture toughness tests, will be emphasized. Observation and documentation techniques will be covered. The role of fracture analysis in failure prevention is emphasized throughout the course. This is a hands-on course in which the students will view fractured glass and ceramic samples with stereo optical microscopes and other tools.

The course is designed to meet the needs of people interested in glasses or ceramics. People who are primarily interested in fractography of glass should take the first three full days of the course. Most of the examples that will be examined by the participants on days one and two will be glass specimens, since fracture markings are most clearly seen in glass. The third full day will be devoted to equipment, documentation, formal fractographic standards, and quantitative fractography with an emphasis on determining the stress in the part at fracture. The fourth full day of the course covers grinding and machining flaws in glasses and ceramics, the fractography of polycrystalline and single crystal ceramics, fracture toughness determination, and Weibull strength correlations with fractographic analysis. Links between fractography and failure prevention are included in the discussions, case studies, and examples.

Course Outline
Fundamentals of fractography, explanations of fracture markings, examination of specimens, equipment for observation and documentation, fracture origins in glasses and ceramics, quantitative fractography in testing (strength, fracture mechanics) and failure analysis, examples of fracture in polycrystalline ceramics, and using fractography in failure prevention. Attendees may bring 1-2 specimens for after-class inspection. Attendees should bring a simple hand calculator.

Schedule Outline:

• Days 1 and 2: Fractography; Fundamentals: definition, applications, markings, explanations, and examination of glass specimens (8:30 am - 4:30 pm each day)
  
  
• Day 3: Equipment and documentation: hand lenses, microscopes, cameras, photomicrography; Quantitative Fractography: fracture mirror constant, fracture mechanics, standards, machining and grinding cracks in glasses and ceramics (8:30 am - 6:00 pm)
  
  
• Day 4: Origin flaw types in ceramics, single crystals, Weibull strength analysis and fractography, and case studies for glasses and ceramics. (8:30 am - 1 pm)

Instructors
Dr. James Varner is a Professor of Ceramic Engineering at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He received his Ph.D. in Ceramics at Alfred University.

George Quinn is a recently retired Ceramic Engineer with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. He received his BSME from Northeastern University.

Course Fee
$1,395.00. Fee includes: Fractography of Ceramics and Glasses practice guide. The course is currently full, please call Marlene Wightman to be put on a wait list (607.871.2425.