Kazuki Shibanuma’s Laboratory,
The University of Tokyo
Fracture Mechanics
& Structural Integrity

Why Study
Fracture Mechanics?

Understanding and preventing fractures in materials and structures has been a hot topic since the early days of human civilization. Fracture phenomena are closely linked to building and device safety. Therefore, predicting and controlling such fractures is essential not only for designing high-performance novel materials and structures but also for minimizing the risk to human lives.

Today, fracture mechanics is an active area of study in engineering, and knowledge in this field is highly valued by the industry. Our group seeks to develop innovative methods and strategies to understand fracture phenomena better. The extremely complex physical processes underlying fracture hold answers to fundamental engineering questions like “How can we create fracture-resistant materials?” and “How can we use a given material or component without causing it to fracture?”

Message
from Kazuki Shibanuma, Laboratory Head

Fracture mechanics is fundamental to gauging the integrity of structures and components. It spans a wide range of engineering fields, including mechanical engineering, materials engineering, marine engineering, aerospace engineering, and civil engineering.

Our aim is to establish novel strategies for explaining fracture phenomena using a combination of methods spanning theoretical, experimental, computational, and data sciences.

Do feel free to contact us if you are interested in joining our research group or conducting collaborative research!

Publications

No. Authors Title Journal Volume (Year), Pages Categories
84 Fuminori Yanagimoto
Tianyu He
Kazuki Shibanuma*

The state-of-art in studies on brittle crack arrest in steel

Engineering Fracture Mechanics

323 (2025), 111132.

Beyond FEM Verification Validation Brittle fracture Crack arrest Fracture criterion
83 Tianyu He
Naoki Morita
Naoto Mitsume
Fuminori Yanagimoto
Katsuyuki Suzuki
Yun-Jae Kim
Kazuki Shibanuma*

Application phase analysis for predicting high-speed crack propagation/arrest in 3D thick plates using S-version FEM

Engineering Fracture Mechanics

322 (2025), 111173.

Beyond FEM Validation Brittle fracture Crack arrest Fracture criterion In-situ observation
82 Yutaro Abe
Daisuke Fukui
Ryota Nagashima
Nobuo Nakada*
Kazuki Shibanuma

Fracture mechanics analysis of anisotropic cleavage fracture caused by transformation-induced microscopic internal stresses in lath martensite

Materials Characterization

223 (2025), 114905

Beyond FEM Validation Brittle fracture Fracture criterion Material characterisation

Awards

No. Winner(s) Title Organisation Month, Year
34 Kazuki Shibanuma

Outstanding Presentation Award
(日本計算工学会 計算工学講演会 優秀講演表彰)

Japan Society for Computational Engineering and Science (JSCES) Sep. 2024
33 Kazuki Shibanuma

Outstanding Presentation Award
(日本材料学会 マルチスケール材料力学シンポジウム 優秀講演賞)

JSMS Committee on Multiscale Materials Mechanics Jun. 2024
32 Tianyu He

Dean’s Award (Best Master Thesis of Department)
(工学系研究科長賞 (研究)・システム創成学専攻 最優秀修士論文)

School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo Mar. 2024

Access

Department of Systems
Innovation,
School of Engineering,
The University of Tokyo

7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656, JAPAN
Eng. Bldg. No. 3, Hongo Campus, The University of Tokyo

Associate Professor: Room 334
Laboratory Office: Room 348

7 min walk from Nezu Station (Chiyoda Line)
8 min walk from Todaimae Station (Namboku Line)
13 min walk from Hongo-sanchome Station (Marunouchi Line and Oedo Line)

Contact

Feel free to contact us if you are
interested in
joining our group or
conducting collaborative research.

Tel. +81-3-5841-6565