Mechanics of Deformable Structures: Part 1
Study strength of materials, the foundational mechanical engineering subject. Learn how to analyze and predict deformation and failure in structures made of elastic, elastic-plastic and viscoelastic materials.
Course Information
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About this Course
Many natural and engineered structures can be modeled as systems of interconnected structural elements loaded along their axis (bars), in torsion (shafts) and in bending (beams). In this course you will learn to use equations for static equilibrium, geometric compatibility and constitutive material response to analyze the performance of structural systems.
This online course from the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering introduces two material behaviors: plasticity, where a structure undergoes permanent deformation beyond its elastic limit, and viscoelasticity, where the structural response changes over time under stress.
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 Bars in axial loading).
Part 3 – 2.02.2x Mechanics of Deformable Structures: Part 2. (Assemblages of bars, shafts, and beams. 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
- Use Free Body Diagrams to formulate equilibrium equations in structural assemblages.
- Identify geometric constraints to formulate compatibility equations in structural assemblages.
- Understand the formulation of thermo-elastic, elastic-perfectly-plastic and linear viscoelastic models for the material response.
- Analyze and predict the mechanical behavior of statically determinate and statically indeterminate assemblages with deformable bars in axial loading.
Prerequisites
Multivariable Calculus (Derivatives, Integrals (1D, 2D); Physics: Classical Mechanics (Vectors, Forces, Torques, Newton’s Laws); 2.01x (axial loading, torsion, bending).
Meet your instructors
Simona Socrate
Senior Lecturer
Dr. Simona Socrate is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a Principal Research Scientist at MIT/ISN. She earned a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Rome (1991), and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT (1995). She has been teaching classes in structural mechanics at MIT for more than twenty years. Her research efforts focus on the mechanical behavior of fabrics, composites, and soft biological tissue. Her areas of interest include measuring and modeling the high strain rate properties of biological tissue to prevent injuries, and investigating the mechanics of pregnancy to reduce the risk of pre-term delivery.
