Mechanics of Structures Variational and Computational Methods









Preface to the First Edition

The development of the digital computer has led to substantive changes in computational

structural mechanics and in the corresponding methods of analysis. The finite element

method has been developed and refined to such a level that it is now a standard academic

offering. It is, perhaps, time to reflect on the conventional approach for presenting modern

structural mechanics, including the fundamentals and even the nomenclature. This book

is the authors’ response to this need. We believe that the approach presented here will

make the well-established teaching patterns of structural mechanics more rational. This

book is directed towards the courses that are typically labeled as fundamentals of finite

elements: advanced strength of materials; matrix structural analysis; computational solid

mechanics; variational methods of mechanics; and rods, plates, and shells. As a minimum,

prerequisites for understanding this material are statics and strength of materials. Courses

in structural analysis, calculus of variations, and linear algebra are helpful but not required.

Students with more complete backgrounds can proceed more rapidly. In the United States,

this material is used in senior and introductory graduate courses for students of civil,

mechanical, and aerospace engineering.




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