D. Aliya, Aliya Analytical, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI; M. Pepi, Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, CA
Did you ever notice how half-eaten food often takes on an appearance similar to that of certain engineering alloys? Maybe not, unless you happen to be a failure analyst whose eyes have been trained to look for certain fractographic and metallographic characteristics as a result of extensive time on the job. Nonetheless, these features are encountered daily, on foods ranging from fruit to candy. Next time you are dining, take a closer look at your food for a moment, and see if you can detect a feature comparable to that of a broken metal, plastic or glass component.
Summary: Using inexpensive "test coupons" created from common food items can be a good way to learn macrofractography. Photos of chocolates, carrots, etc., broken in bending, torsion and tension will be presented. Aspects of the effect of the structural object structure and how it affects the fracture appearance will also be described.
