Professor Kevin Kendall FRS

Kevin Kendall developed the theory of cracks so as to apply it to a very wide range of problems of great industrial significance. Through a series of experiments, Kevin has shown that the thermodynamic theory of cracking can be used to explain and predict such varied phenomena as adhesion, some types of friction, colloidal behaviour and the internal structure of complex solids. Solutions have been obtained for the adhesion of elastic spheres, failure of lap joints, interfacial dislocations, delamination of a composite, failure in compression, crack arrest at an interface, rolling friction of cylinders, crushing of particles and the strength of porous solids, as well as the behaviour of powder compacts. He has also used theory synthetically to design polymer latex coatings and to devise new processes for making strong cements besides suggesting the optimum interfacial adhesion in composites. His work has also greatly illuminated a number of older problems such as Galileo’s argument on flaw statistics and Newton’s supposition on the attraction between spheres.

Subject groups

  • Engineering and Materials Science

    Materials science (incl materials engineering), Engineering, chemical

  • Astronomy and Physics

    Condensed matter incl softmatter, liquids, nano-materials

Professor Kevin Kendall FRS
Elected 1993
Committees Participated Role
Hooke Committee January 2004 - December 2006 Member
Research Appointment Panel A(ii) January 2004 - December 2006 Member
Armourers & Brasiers' Company Prize Committee January 2002 - December 2005 Member
Sectional Committee 4: Engineering December 1997 - November 2000 Member
Research Appointment Panel A(ii) January 1994 - December 1999 Member