Towards a new concept of structural integrity

Abstract

This paper offers a novel and forward-looking approach to the concept of structural integrity, comprising and covering all length scales in the conceptual framework of the innovative concepts of mega-, macro-, micro- and nano-structural integrity, and thus the science of fracture mechanics & structural integrity can be considered as a branch of material science & engineering, and the novel concept of material integrity can also be coined, since crack-like defects can affect material behavior. In this conceptual framework, any material can be considered as a structure (a quite more general concept with a broader meaning and comprising also, e.g., the structure of a Bach’s fugue or of a Beethoven’s symphony), such a structure being analyzable at different geometric levels or length scales: mega-, macro-, micro- and nano-levels.