SFSA 4 PDF

INTRODUCTION

Castings are individual products; they are inspected individually for discontinuities which must be repaired or the casting rejected. In many engineering applications castings tend to be "over designed", i .e. the safety factors are unnecessarily generous where it can be shown that any defects present are not critical. Design rules, to avoid the possibility of fast fracture, are not the only constraints on total castings design, but th ey are often the greatest constraint and the least quantitative. A successful fracture mechanics approach to design would encourage production of castings of better fitness for purpose, and generally lighter section, if this were desirable for other than safety reasons.