Mechanics of Materials

Welcome to the wonderful world of Mechanics of Materials! Building on the foundation you gained in Statics, we’ll study the effects of internal forces and moments on engineering materials. For example, pulling on a bar of steel with 1N of force results in a markedly different result than applying the same force to a common rubber band. We’ll examine how structures deform, rotate, and translate under applied loads, compute internal stresses and strains, and characterize the magnitude and sense of the deformation. The importance of safety factors and their application in the Allowable Stress Design philosophy leads to an enhanced awareness of the professional and ethical responsibilities that are inherent to engineering practice.