Structural mechanics

Mechanics of structures is a field of study within applied mechanics that investigates the behavior of structures under mechanical loads, such as bending of a beam, buckling of a column, torsion of a shaft, deflection of a thin shell, and vibration of a bridge.

There are three approaches to the analysis: the energy methods, flexibility method or direct stiffness method which later developed into finite element method and the plastic analysis approach.

Energy method

• Energy principles in structural mechanics

Flexibility method

• Flexibility method

Stiffness methods

• Direct stiffness method
• Finite element method in structural mechanics

Plastic analysis approach

• Plastic Analysis

Major topics

• Beam theory
• Buckling
• Earthquake engineering
• Finite element method in structural mechanics
• Plates and shells
• Torsion
• Trusses
• Stiffening
• Structural dynamics
• Structural instability

References