The size of plastic zones (pz) at the crack tips validates the use of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM). Thus, this thesis studies the limits of validity of the two parameters that characterize MFLE from the pz estimates. These two parameters are the stress intensity factor (K) and the T-stress. This work shows that KI and the T-stress are terms of the Williams’ series expansion, which is the complete linear elastic (LE) solution for the stress fields generated at the crack tips. It also demonstrates that the Williams’ series is a different way of writing the Westergaard stress function in terms of a trigonometric series with infinite terms, and comments that even if the two functions are the complete LE solution for cracked bodies, they have limited use, because they generate infinite tensions at the crack tip. These singular stresses are characteristics of mathematical problem, not reproducing the real mechanical behavior. As an attempt to outline the problem of singularity in a qualitative way, this work proposes three ways to consider the yielding effects in pz estimates in which one adopts a perfectly plastic material. The completeness of the stress fields generated by the Westergaard stress function is verified numerically from the use of Finite Element Method (FEM) and from of the Hybrid Boundary Element Method (HBEM). Two of the proposals to consider the yielding effects in the pz are used in conjunction with HBEM. The problem of pz estimates is instrinsically non-linear due to the singularity obtained by the mathematical formulation. Finally, this thesis also estimates the pz from a non-linear numerical analysis via FEM. The hardening effects are also tested in these nonlinear estimates. Moreover, they are compared to estimates corrected LE in which a perfectly plastic material is considered.