The revised ASM Handbook, Volume 12: Fractography contains substantially expanded coverage of the subject of fractography—in the form of 17 entirely new material-specific, text-based articles. It includes in-depth information on the types and appearances of fracture, visual examination and imaging methods, quantitative fractography, surface profiling, and fractal analysis. It describes the morphology of fracture surfaces at different length scales and identifies markers and patterns that shed light on how and why fractures occur.

The revised ASM Handbook, Volume 12: Fractography covers all aspects of fractography relevant to its use in materials evaluation, failure analysis, and quality control.

The new Volume 12 includes in-depth information on the types and appearances of fracture, visual examination and imaging methods, quantitative fractography, surface profiling, and fractal analysis. It describes the morphology of fracture surfaces at different length scales and identifies markers and patterns that shed light on how and why fractures occur.

Volume 12 also explains how loading conditions, operating environments, and material composition and structure influence the mode and mechanism of fracture in cast irons and steels, nonferrous alloys, plastics, ceramics, polymer matrix composites, and welded and soldered joints.

Through the presentation of fractographs and spectroscopic data, it assists readers in recognizing the characteristic features of different types of fractures, the potential role of material dislocations and impurities, and the contributing effects of corrosion, embrittlement, and fatigue.

An overview of the history of fractography and its use in archaeometallurgy is also included.

The substantially expanded coverage of the subject of fractography—in the form of 17 entirely new material-specific, text-based articles in the revised Volume 12—compared to the 1987 edition necessitated the expansion of the former edition into two separate volumes. This resulted in the development of the standalone ASM Handbook, Volume 12A: Atlas of Fractography, whose publication is scheduled for 2025.

Selected Volume 12 articles are now published digital-first in the ASM Digital Library in advance of the full volume release.