To be able to perform advanced analyses of structures, it is important to understand their physics and how this translates into mathematical equations. This learning track is a collection of courses that can get you started on learning how solids behave. Many quantities exist to characterize the behavior of structures and each of them tells a story. A successful analysis identifies the appropriate quantities and the right method of extracting them. Having a strong understanding of physics and its interpretation using equations is key to this. In this learning track, we will proceed through courses that incrementally build a foundation for learning the fundamentals of solid mechanics. This learning track is a precursor to more advanced topics that can further your insight into applied solid mechanics.
Understanding the Physics of Structural Mechanics
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Stress Analysis in Solid Mechanics
Stress analysis is a very important task for engineers in civil, mechanical, aerospace and many other subjects. Although it is called stress analysis, it looks for both stress and strain over the structure so that to determine the condition of a structure under external loads. Stress ...Read more
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Strain in Deformation Analysis
In engineering, the deformation of a structure is related to the concept of strain. When an external load is applied to an engineering assembly, its components may experience a change in shape, quantified by “strain.” The strain is useful in determining the amount of elongation or dis...Read more
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Stress and Local Equilibrium
“Mechanics of Materials” is the study of the relationship between the external loads and internal forces experienced by any structure. The magnitude of the internal force at a point in the structure can be quantified as “stress.” In this course, we introduce stress in tenso...Read more
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Structural Dynamics
The dynamic behavior of structures is an important concern across many disciplines of engineering. By understanding structural dynamics, civil engineers can design buildings that can withstand severe dynamic loading from earthquakes and hurricanes, aerospace engineers can control th...Read more
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Modal Analysis
Modal analysis is the fundamental dynamic analysis type, providing the natural frequencies at which a structure will resonate. These natural frequencies are of paramount importance in various engineering fields. Suspensions are usually tuned to have different natural frequencies for pass...Read more
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Time Domain Dynamic Problems
Every structure undergoes changes over a period; some occur over short time periods while others take a long time. While time is always an independent variable in play, it is not necessary to consider it in analyzing all systems. But how do we identify when time may be igno...Read more
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Structural Nonlinearity
All structures respond to external loads in a nonlinear fashion. However, the nonlinear nature is profound and important in only certain cases. There are several linear and nonlinear solvers that are available to analyze these systems and picking the correct solver is often a ch...Read more
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Large Deformation
Solids behave differently when they are subjected to large deformations as opposed to small ones. This is due to the change in their shape and it often introduces a form of nonlinearity known as geometric nonlinearity. The degree to which this nonlinearity affects the solution accura...Read more
