CE 59700 – Advanced Topics in Classical and Computational Solid Mechanics

Credits and contact hours:

  • 3 credits
  • Lecture meets 2 times per week for 75 minutes per meeting for 15 weeks

Specific course information:

  • Catalog description: This is a graduate course in solid mechanics for those students who are interested in learning more about fundamentals concepts of material deformation and failure, modeling and current numerical techniques to solve solid mechanics problems. The course is intended for students who want to improve their skills to solve problems combining computational tools and experiments. This also include those who either need to develop and implement their own material constitutive models for deformation and failure in computational tools or simply are interested in using commercially available codes more effectively.
  • Prerequisites: 
  • Course status: 

Specific Goals for the course:

  • Student learning outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course the student shall be able to:
    • Introduce the student to the classical solid mechanics for engineering problem- solving.
    • Familiarize the student with advanced finite element codes and other numerical techniques for nonlinear modeling of material deformation and failure. We will do this through individual projects.
    • Identify the key ingredients required to solve solid mechanics problems (e.g., what to model, geometry, initial and boundary conditions, constitutive models, failure modes and what physics must be included).
    • Some topics: linear and non-linear elasticity, small strain plasticity models, viscoelasticity, hyperelasticity, fracture and failure models.
    • Elements of Fracture Mechanics
    • Dimensional analysis framework and some advanced topics on dynamic and non- linear finite element algorithms.
    • Most of the problems will be oriented towards micromechanics, scale bridging in deformation and damage/fracture of materials.
    • Final projects may include solving solid mechanics problems that may involve the development of analytical expression, numerical tools and even experiments in the Lyles I2I Lab (CIVL).
  •  Relationship of course to program outcomes
    • Outcome 1: An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.

Topics:

  • Students learn how to formulate and solve computational problems arising in the deformation and failure of materials at the more relevant length-scale levels and across length scales. Students are expected to communicate their work graphically, orally and in writing. Teamwork and oral communications are sometimes emphasized, depending on final enrollment.