In structural engineering and material science, fast fracture is a term given to a phenomenon in which a flaw (such as a crack) in a material expands quickly, and leads to catastrophic failure of the material. Stress acting on a material when fast fracture occurs is less than the material's yield stress. A very representative example of this is what happens when poking a blown up balloon with a needle, that is, fast fracture of the balloon's material.
Famous quotes containing the word fast:
“my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.”
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)