Elements of Structures
An introduction to the strength of materials, this course will teach you to understand and predict the mechanical response of deformable solids like rods, beams and shafts using computational analysis.
Course Information
Certificate Track
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About this Course
This online course from the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering introduces principles of structural analysis and mechanics of materials for understanding and predicting material behavior under stress.
You will learn fundamental concepts of continuum mechanics, including internal resultants, displacement field, stress, and strain, with applications to three essential types of elastic load-bearing elements: bars in axial loading, axisymmetric shafts in torsion, and symmetric beams in bending.
While emphasizing analytical techniques, the course also introduces computing environments using MATLAB and numerical methods (Finite Elements).
This is the first course in a 3-part series which explores how mechanical engineers use analytical methods and calculations to predict structural behavior. The three courses in the series are:
Part 1 – 2.01x: Elements of Structures. Elastic response of Structural Elements: Bars, Shafts, Beams.
Part 2 – 2.02.1x Mechanics of Deformable Structures: Part 1. Assemblages of Elastic, Elastic-Plastic, and Viscoelastic Structural Elements.
Part 3 – 2.02.2x Mechanics of Deformable Structures: Part 2. Multi-axial Loading and Deformation. Energy Methods.
Based on the first subject in solid mechanics for MIT Mechanical Engineering students, these undergraduate-level courses will teach you to rely on the notions of equilibrium, geometric compatibility, and constitutive material response to ensure that your structures will perform their specified mechanical functions without failing.
What you'll learn
In this course, you will:
- Use free body diagrams to formulate equilibrium equations
- Identify geometric constraints to formulate compatibility equations
- Understand the concepts of stress and strain at a material point.
For three fundamental types of slender structural elements (elastic bars, beams and shafts) you will learn:
- To calculate internal stress and strain fields in the loaded elements
- To predict the deformation in the loaded elements
- To design structural elements so as to prevent failure
- To use numerical methods (MATLAB) in structural engineering application
Prerequisites
Multivariable Calculus. Physics: Classical Mechanics (Derivatives, Integrals (1D, 2D), Vectors, Forces, Torques)
Meet your instructors
Alexie M. Kolpak
Rockwell International Career Development Assistant Professor
Alexie M. Kolpak is the Rockwell International Career Development Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. She earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. Her research interests focus on: (1) Understanding and predicting environment-dependent atomic and electronic structure at solid-solvent interfaces. (2) First-principles computational design of novel catalysts for water splitting, CO2 capture and conversion, and other reactions. (3) Investigation and design of novel multiferroic, photovoltaic, and thermoelectric materials and heterostructures.
