Fundamentals of Structural Mechanics Second Edition

Abstract

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 pedagogical opportunities implicit in this shift of perspective. It now seems more appropriate to focus on fundamental principles and formulations than on classical solution techniques. The term structural mechanics probably means different things to different people. To me it brings to mind the specialized theories of beams, plates, and shells that provide the building blocks of common structures (if it involves bending moment then it is probably structural mechanics). Structural elements are often slender, so structural stability is also a key part of structural mechanics. This book covers the fundamentals of structural mechanics. The treatment here is guided and confined by the strong philosophical framework of continuum mechanics and is given wings to fly by the powerful tools of numerical