A statistical strength criterion for brittle materials

Based on a probabilistic model of brittle microfracture (microdamage) leading to macrofracture of materials, we propose a statistical interpretation of strength criteria, which relate start of macrofracture (manifested by macrocrack formation in tension or internal structure stability loss in compression) with attainment of a certain (critical) value of density of microdefects in the material under study. The criterion is reduced to comparative...