and thus is relatively new.

Fracture mechanics should attempt to provide quantitative answers to the following questions:
# What is the strength of the component as a function of crack size?
# What crack size can be tolerated under service loading, i.e. what is the maximum permissible crack size?
# How long does it take for a crack to grow from a certain initial size, for example the minimum detectable crack size, to the maximum permissible crack size?
# What is the service life of a structure when a certain pre-existing