Failure of Materials in Mechanical Design: Analysis, Prediction, Prevention, 2nd Edition

Rating:
Summary: A decent book, but not my first pick
Review: This book has a lot of information, no doubt about it. And you may find some things in it that you'll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere (such as non-linear damage theories, fretting, shock and impact, etc). However, the book is quite theoretical, and information is scattered over various chapters, sometimes making it difficult to find what you're looking for. And when you do find it, the information is often not presented in a precise and detailed manner, which is important whenever you attempt to extend theory to real-life problems. I found this to be the case with the strain-based fatigue discussion, and especially the fracture mechanics coverage, which is cursory at best. I recommend that you first check out Dowling's book ("Mechanical Behavior of Materials"). I have found it to be much more useful.