This volume contains the proceedings of the USA-Japan Joint Seminar on
"Fracture Mechanics of Ductile and Tough Materials and Its Applications
to Energy Related Structures". The seminar was supported jointly by the
National Science Foundation of the United States and the Japan Society
for the Promotion of Sciences. The seminar was held from November 12th
to 16th, 1979, at Hayama, Japan, a picturesque resort town by the beach
of Sagami Bay facing Mt. Fugi. The safety and integrity of the
engineering structures for energy explora- tion, energy production, and
energy transportation are of utmost importance to our welfare. Both the
United States and Japan are at the forefront of the re- search on
fracture mechanics and its applications to fracture prevention. Dur- ing
the past few years, major research efforts have been made in the areas
of non-linear fracture mechanics and its applications to fracture
initiation, slow crack growth, creep and fatigue. This joint seminar
offered an unique opportunity for detailed exchange of information on
current researches and fu- ture efforts.
