Product Description: Fracture as an academic discipline became established in the mid 1960s. It is concerned with the molecular and crystallographic structures of materials, the elasticity of materials and the reasons why these materials can crack, fracture or otherwise fail...read more

Product Description: This book is an interdisciplinary review of the effect of fracture on life, following the development of the understanding of fracture written from a historical perspective. After a short introduction to fracture, the first section of the book covers the effects of fracture on the evolution of the Earth, plants and animals, and man...read more

Product Description: The application of fracture mechanics to cementitious materials allows the investigation of many important factors relating to the durability of these materials. This new book provides a comprehensive and readable exposition of this subject and is written by two of the world's foremost experts...read more

This is the first general account of the mechanics behind pre-industrial technology. By combining the skills of an engineer and an archaeologist, it shows how mechanics can be used to create a better understanding of the function of artifacts and the achievements of early technology. The authors examine technology from the earliest stone tools of more than two million years ago to the erection of the statues of Easter Island which continued into the seventeenth century. Representative material cultures from most areas of the world have been selected for this study and the book shows how sophisticated many of their apparently simple techniques and artefacts actually were. After an introduction to basic mechanics the book examines the elements of machines: the various structures which can be made to bridge openings; the mechanics involved in fashioning stone tools; projectiles such as the spear and boomerang; the efficiency of transport by land and water; and the mechanics of musical instruments. (view table of contents)