Stochastics and their role in structural performance

The influence of random microstructures and strengths on mechanical performance of advanced ceramics is now being recognized as critical. Experimental results on new ceramics demonstrate the importance of stochastic phenomena, particularly in fiber-reinforced composites. New theoretical approaches have been developed to tackle the combined mechanics-statistics problem of failure in these materials; they demonstrate general trends in the statistics of failure and provide specific predictions of strength, reliability, and sample volume effects. (C) Current Chemistry Ltd