The document discusses macroscopic examination of fracture surfaces to identify failure modes. There are three main types of failures: ductile, brittle, and fatigue. Ductile failures exhibit necking and a cup-and-cone fracture surface. Brittle failures result in a flat surface without deformation. Fatigue failures have both ductile and brittle regions due to repeated stresses below the material's strength. The failure mode can be determined through visual inspection and linked to the material and loading conditions. Modifying the material treatment or design can help prevent different failure types.