Economic effects of fracture in the United States. Part 2. A report to NBS by Battelle Columbus Laboratories
Materials produced in the United States - and the structures, containers and other products made from them - are all subject to fracture. While our understanding of material fracture has advanced considerably over the past several decades, we still need to overdesign structures so as to maintain safety factors and to assure reliability, and we still expend much effort on maintenance and repair to prevent catastrophic failures. The total cost of fractures ($99.0 billion) is 4.4 percent of the Gross National Product for full employment 1978. If we assume no great change in the relative size of these costs in today's economy - with a GNP of approximately $3000 billion - current (1982) costs of fracture are running at a level of about $132 billion per year. Over 80 percent of the costs are technology based: they derive primarily from technologies of production and the amounts of material used in production process in order to prevent fracture. It is largely within this area that future research and development will have their greatest impacts. Future cost reductions can be addressed on a sector-by-sector basis through a detailed analysis of the cost components that accrue to individual sectors as provided in this report. A major portion of resource savings may be realized by the transfer of existing technology, i.e., applying a technology developed for one use to another one, perhaps far removed. Depending upon the particular sector(s) involved, savings may accrue to producers, to users, and/or society at large. In addition, an almost equal resource savings may be obtained through basic and applied research, and the subsequent dissemination and application of new technology throughout the productive economy.
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Columbus Labs., OH (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AT01-80ER10741
- OSTI ID:
- 6223285
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/10741-T1-Pt.2; NBS-SP-647-2; ON: DE85006296
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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42 ENGINEERING
FRACTURES
COST
ECONOMIC IMPACT
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
MATERIALS
FRACTURE PROPERTIES
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
DESIGN
FAILURES
CORROSION
ENGINEERING
FATIGUE
FRACTURE MECHANICS
INPUT-OUTPUT ANALYSIS
INSPECTION
MAINTENANCE
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
NUMERICAL DATA
RECOMMENDATIONS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
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USA
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DATA
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
INFORMATION
MECHANICS
NORTH AMERICA
360000* - Materials
420200 - Engineering- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques