Basic to

Fractography
SURYADI, ST., MT.
Fracture

Fracture is the process of separation or fragmentation of a

solid body under the action of loads or stresses, thus creating
new surfaces, which are referred to as the “fractured surface”.

- Fractography & Failure Analysis by Jorge Luis González-

Velázquez
Objectives of Fractography

• Identify the type of fracture.

• Determine the crack path.
• Identify the zones corresponding to the three stages of fracture, which are:
crack nucleation, crack growth and final separation.
• Identify the operating fracture mechanisms.
• Identify the factors that are intrinsic (inherent to the material) and extrinsic
(out
• of the boundaries of the fractured body) which influenced the fracture
process.
 Visual examination

Stereoscopic viewing

Microscopic examination
Observation
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)

Surface Microanalysis
Fracture mode

Fatigue
Ductile Fracture Brittle Fracture
Fracture

Transgranular Intergranular
Ductile fracture

• This is the one that shows an appreciable plastic deformation

associated with fracture.
Brittle fracture

• This is characterized by showing little or no plastic deformation at all.

Intergranular

Transgranular
Fatigue fracture

• Fatigue is a progressive form of fracture caused by repeated, cyclic or

fluctuant loads that lead to the nucleation and propagation of a crack.
Fatigue fracture

Ductile striation Brittle striation

Thank you
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