Fundamentals of Structural Mechanics

This volume is an introduction to basic continuum mechanics that emphasizes variational formulations and numeric computation. This provides the prerequisite information for finite elements for graduate and advances undergraduate students in civil and mechanical engineering - a required course for all mechanical and civil engineering students.

The last few decades have witnessed a dramatic increase in the application of numerical computation to problems in solid and structural mechanics. The burgeoning of computational mechanics opened a pedagogical gap between traditional courses in elementary strength of materials and the finite element method that classical courses on advanced strength of materials and elasticity do not adequately fill. In the past, our ability to formulate theory exceeded our ability to compute. In those days, solid mechanics was for virtuosos. With the advent of the finite element method, our ability to compute has surpassed our ability to formulate theory. As a result, continuum mechanics is no longer the province of the specialist. What an engineer needs to know about mechanics has been forever changed by our capacity to compute. This book attempts to capitalize on the pedagogi cal opportunities implicit in this shift of perspective. It now seems more ap propriate to focus on fundamental principles and formulations than on classical solution techniques.

Provides the reader with a solid introduction to continuum mechanics

Offers a complete discussion of numerical method techniques used in the study of Structural Mechanics

Provides the necessary prerequisites for further study of finite element method or advanced (nonlinear) computational mechanics

Request lecturer material: sn.pub/lecturer-material

Inhalt
Vectors and Tensors.- The Geometry of Deformation.- The Transmission of Force.- Elastic Constitutive Theory.- Boundary Value Problems in Elasticity.- The Ritz Method of Approximation.- The Linear Theory of Beams.- The Linear Theory of Plates.- Energy Principles and Static Stability.- Fundamental Concepts in Static Stability.- The Planar Buckling of Beams.- Numerical Computation for Nonlinear Problems.