Failure mechanism models for brittle fracture

This tutorial illustrates designs where brittle fracture can endanger system performance, thereby acting as an overstress failure mechanism. Analytic (physics-of-failure) methods, based on continuum fracture-mechanisms rather than on molecular micro-mechanics, are presented to design against such failures. The associated stress-analysis techniques and material characterizations have matured appreciably over the past 40 years and are routinely used in aerospace, automotive, and other mechanical/structural applications. Two examples illustrate the use of these models in practical electronic packaging