Fractography is a branch of forensic engineering that focuses on the material evidence of crimes or accidents. Fractography studies the what causes the accident to occur, or evidence to identify criminals. Studying fractography in ceramics and glasses is similar to that of metals, using SEM or ESEM performed in low vacuum. Fracture surfaces are especially important for finding information of the origin, cause, and effect of the defect or accident. Surface features such as hachures reveal the origin of the cracks, and once the origin is found, information of the cause can be drawn such as for example, if the cause was a bullet hole and origin was located, the direction of travel and energy on impact as well as possible bullet caliber and angle of shooter may be able to be determined in…show more content… The SEM (scanning electron microscope) is an essential tool in fractography studies, having much better depth of field and resolution than optical microscopes. The SEM allows one to examine fractured surfaces in stunning detail, allowing up to 150,000 times magnification.
Some practical applications of fractography in every day life are, as described before, crime scene and forensic analysis, and failure analysis in machines and metals for engineers.
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Additionally fractography can be used conceptually to study police riot shield technology and bullet proof glass in studies used to gather information to improve said technologies and make police and politician lives safer. Automotive companies can use fractography to find ways to make their cars safer in the event of crashes and wrecks, to better protect the consumer by strengthening the chassis and creating more shatter resistant glass. Firearm companies could use fractography to improve their firearms to improve against gun jamming, metal fatigue, and weapon failure. Nasa space programs would and probably already benefit from
