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Class 4 (4th Engineer) SC&S 📅 Oct 2025

Exam Question

(a) Describe in detail how brittle fracture is instrumental in causing failure of materials. (6)

(b) Describe how a material is tested to assess the resistance to this type of failure. (4)

(c) Suggest where this type of failure would be likely and explain how the likelihood of failure is reduced. (6)

Reference Answer

### (a) Mechanism of Brittle Fracture (6 Marks)
Brittle fracture is a high-speed, catastrophic failure of a material that occurs with little or no prior plastic deformation. It is considered the most dangerous type of fracture due to its sudden and unpredictable nature.
**Mechanism and Characteristics:**
1. **Crack Initiation:** The process begins at a point of high stress concentration. This can be a pre-existing defect such as:

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