  Understanding the local fracture resistance of microstructural features. such
as brittle inclusions, coatings, and interfaces at the microscale under complex
loading conditions is critical for microstructure-informed design of materials.
In this study, a novel approach has been formulated to decompose the J-integral
evaluation of the elastic energy release rate to the three-dimensional stress
intensity factors directly from experimental measurements of the elastic
deformation gradient tensors of the crack field by in situ high (angular)
resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD). An exemplar study is
presented of a quasi-static crack, inclined to the observed surface,
propagating on low index {hkl} planes in a (001) single crystal silicon wafer.
