Statistical Meso-Mechanics of Damage and Failure: How Microdamage Induces Disaster Series Publication of Multiscale Mechanics

This book introduces a trans-scale framework necessary for the physical understanding of breakdown behaviors and presents some new paradigm to clarify the mechanisms underlying the trans-scale processes. The book, which is based on the interaction of mechanics and statistical physics, will help to deepen the understanding of how microdamage induces disaster and benefit the forecasting of the occurrence of catastrophic rupture. It offers notes and problems in each part as interesting background and illustrative exercises.
Readers of the book would be graduate students, researchers, engineers working on civil, mechanical and geo-engineering, etc. However, people with various background but interested in disaster reduction and forecasting, like applied physics, geophysics, seismology, etc., may also be interested in the book. 

Introduction:Damage and failure of heterogeneous media: basic features and common characteristics.-Framework of statistical meso-mechanics: why and how statistical meso-mechanics is.- Mathematical essentials in statistical meso-mechanics.- Part A Quasi-statically Statistical Evolution of Deformation and Damage in Media with Mesoscopic Heterogeneities:Coupled average (CA).- Elastic and statistically-brittle (ESB) constitutive model,Global mean field (GMF) approximation.- Continuous bifurcation and localization of deformation,Regional mean field (RMF) approximation.- Size effect.- Experimental issues related to statistical meso-mechanics.- Numerical issues related to heterogeneous meso-elements.- Application to failure wave (one-dimensional strain state).- Application to metal foams.- Application to concrete under bi-axial compression.- Part B    Time-Dependent Processes of Micro-damage Population: Background andmethodology.- Fundamental equation of microdamage evolution.- General solution to evolution of microdamage number density.- Closed formulation of continuum damage based on microdamage evolution.- Deborah number and its significance in the evolution of microdamage.- Spallation – tensile failure resulting from microcracks under stress waves.- Short fatigue cracks.- More cases of time-dependent processes related to microdamage.- Brief summary of Part B.- Part C   Critical Catastrophe: Evolution induced catastrophe (EIC).- Energy transfer and catastrophe considering damage localization.- Sample specificity and Trans-scale Sensitivity.- Critical Sensitivity and power-law singularity of catastrophe.- Great earthquake: the catastrophic rupture in Earth’s Crust.- Perspective. 

Yilong Bai graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1963. Since graduation, he has been associate Professor and Professor at the Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1991, he was elected Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research involves in impact dynamics and damage mechanics.  Bai has published over 150 research papers and two monographs (Academic Press, London and Pergamon, Oxford).

Mengfen Xia graduated from the Department of Physics, Perking University (China) in 1962. After graduation, he continued his research there as an assistant Professor, associate Professor and Professor in the Department of Physics, Perking University. Since 1989, he is invited as a Visiting Professor by the Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xia has authored over 100 research papers on plasma physics, nonlinear science, and statistical microdamage mechanics.

Fujiu Ke graduated from the Department of Physics, Peking University (China) in 1967. From 1973 to 1987, she was working in the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since 1987, she has been working in the Department of Physics, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics where she serves as Professor. Her research involves plasma physics, damage mechanics, and molecular simulations.