The growing use of polymer composites is leading to an increasing demand for fractographic expertise. Fractography is the study of fracture surface morphology and is an essential tool for advancing the understanding in composite structural behaviour. Failure analysis and fractography of polymer composites gives an insight into damage mechanisms and underpins the development of physically based failure criteria. It provides a vital link between predictive models and experimental observations. Finally, it is essential for post-mortem analysis of failed or crashed structures, the findings of which are used to optimise future designs. This authoritative work provides both an overview of the field and a reference text for engineers.
