Book excerpt: Presents papers from a November 1998 meeting, concerning applications of fracture and damage mechanics in predicting the durability of composite materials and structures. Papers are organized in four sections on life prediction methods and tools for structures and materials; sandwich construction for large transport aircraft; aerospace composite application and designer requirements; and hydroelasticity, unsteady fluid loading, and life prediction of large naval structures. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR