Actually, I don't know much about Fracture Mechanics. This is the book that my previous teach in Beijing Inst of Tech recommended it to me. I think it is good.

Fracture Mechanics, Fundamentals and Applications, T.L. Anderson, CRC Press, 3rd Ed., 2004.

This book is in line with what Zhigang is teaching in class. Because Kejie and Widusha have already recommended this book, I would like to introduce you some other books as well as a different approach to cracks and Fracture Mechanics.

The book I recommend for reading is Fracture mechanics: fundamentals and applications, by T.L.Anderson, 3rd edition, 2005. I first saw this book on the top list of reading materials of Brown U. When I have it I found so pleasent to read through it. Here is the short-list of its content

Chapter 1: Introduction: History and overview

Chapter 2:Fundamental concepts: linear elastic fracture mechanics

Chapter 3: Elastic-plastic mechanics

Chapter 4: Dynamic and time-dependent fracture

Chapter 5: Material behavior: Fracture mechanics in metals

Chapter 6: Fracture mechanics in nonmetals (engineering plastics, polymers, fiber-reinforced plastics, ceramics)

Chapter 7: Fracture toughness testing of metals

Dynamic fracture mechanics is written by a very well known professro-L B Freund. Honestly, I have only read a small part of the book. However, I recommend this book because after reading this book, you can learn many things which haven't be touched in the class, as stated by Zhigang in the beginning of the class.

Generally speaking, dynamic fracture just include the inertia effect during the fracture process. The inertia effect can either from fast loading or the stress wave radiated from the crack tip. The concept of dynamic fracture in earthquake and other geophysics phenonmenon become extremmely import. The prediction of crack path and the instability of crack propagation also make the study of dynamic fracture important.

This book is an introduction to molecular and atomistic modeling techniques applied to solid deformation and fracture.  Focusing on various brittle, ductile and geometrically confined materials, this book includes computational methods at the atomistic scale, and describes how these techniques can be used to model the dynamics of crack, dislocations and other deformation mechanisms.

I like this book a lot because it covers a variety of research fields which include material science, computer science and bioengineering, as well as providing a comprehensive and up-to-date review on the development of the molecular dyanamics simulation, with a focus on the application of fracture mechanics.

I think this book is a good complement to the course Fracture Mechanics ES 247. There are several reasons:

1. This book is written from an engineering point of view, which is different from our class. In the first chapter Introduction, the book gives some engineering cases of fracture and fatigue. In chapter 3, the stress field is given for the different cracks with engineering importance. This book has two parts. one is Principle, and the other is Application, with a lot of engineering practical problems. Although I haven't read the second part, I think it will well complement our course.

Book reviews are available at

http://www.amazon.com/Fatigue-Materials-Cambridge-Science-Second/product-reviews/0521578477/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

The hyperlink for review on this book on amazon.com is http://www.amazon.com/Frcature-Mechanics-Fundamentals-Applications-Third/dp/0849316561/ref=dp_ob_image_bk