Bringing together basic ideas, classical theories, recent experimental and theoretical
aspects, this book explains desiccation cracks from simple, easily-comprehensible cases to …

We have studied shrinkage-crack patterns which form when a thin layer of an alumina/water
slurry dries. Both isotropic and directional drying were studied. The dynamics of the pattern …

We investigate the breakdown of disordered networks under the action of an increasing
external—mechanical or electrical—force. We perform a mean-field analysis and estimate …

As a colloidal dispersion is coated and dried on a nonporous rigid substrate, the enormous
stresses developing during the drying process can fracture the thin film. The drying-induced …

We study a theoretical model of mud cracks, that is, the fracture patterns resulting from the
contraction with drying in a thin layer of a mixture of granules and water. In this model, we …

Cracks in a colloidal film formed by evaporation induced drying can be controlled by
changing drying conditions. We show, for the first time that the crack morphologies in …

We present a model that explains the origin and predicts the statistical properties of
columnar quasihexagonal crack patterns, as observed in the columnar jointing of basaltic …

We investigate the formation of spiral crack patterns during the desiccation of thin layers of
precipitates in contact with a substrate. This symmetry-breaking fracturing mode is found to …

Fracture in quasistatically driven systems is studied by means of a discrete spring-block
model. Developed from close comparison with desiccation experiments, it describes crack …

We study the appearance and evolution of an array of parallel cracks in a thin slab of
material that is directionally dried, and show that the cracks penetrate the material uniformly …