Keith D. Hjelmstad – författare

The last few decades have witnessed a dramatic increase in the application of numerical computation to problems in solid and structural mechanics. The burgeoning of computational mechanics opened a pedagogical gap between traditional courses in elementary strength of materials and the finite element method that classical courses on advanced strength of materials and elasticity do not adequately fill. In the past, our ability to formulate theory exceeded our ability to compute. In those days, solid mechanics was for virtuosos. With the advent of the finite element method, our ability to compute has surpassed our ability to formulate theory. As a result, continuum mechanics is no longer the province of the specialist. What an engineer needs to know about mechanics has been forever changed by our capacity to compute. This book attempts to capitalize on the pedagogi­ cal opportunities implicit in this shift of perspective. It now seems more ap­ propriate to focus on fundamental principles and formulations than on classical solution techniques.

The last few decades have witnessed a dramatic increase in the application of numerical computation to problems in solid and structural mechanics.

This text closes the gap between traditional textbooks on structural dynamics and how structural dynamics is practiced in a world driven by commercial software, where performance-based design is increasingly important.

This text closes the gap between traditional textbooks on structural dynamics and how structural dynamics is practiced in a world driven by commercial software, where performance-based design is increasingly important.

This book provides an innovative approach to learning dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, emphasizing a consistent problem-solving framework designed to help students understand the subject while building and reinforcing the mathematical tools needed to bridge the gap between physical intuition and quantitative results.