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ES511 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MECHANICS

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Analyze mechanical systems using the principles of force equilibrium and internal force distributions.
2. Understand and apply the fundamental concepts of continuum mechanics.
3. Describe and model the mechanical behavior of linear elastic (Hookean) materials.
4. Perform stress and strain transformations for 2D and 3D stress states.
5. Calculate strain energy in deformable bodies under various loading conditions.
6. Gain a conceptual understanding of viscoelastic material behavior and its modeling.

Course Content

Fundamentals of mechanics. Equivalent force systems. Equations of equilibrium. Internal forces. Introduction to continuum mechanics. Mechanical behavior of Hookean materials. Stress-strain transformations. Strain energy. Introduction to viscoelastic materials.

Course Learning Outcomes

By taking this course student will be able to

Analyze mechanical systems using principles of static equilibrium and internal force distributions in two- and three-dimensional contexts.
Explain and apply the fundamental assumptions and governing equations of continuum mechanics, including stress tensors and deformation measures.
Model the mechanical behavior of isotropic linear elastic materials using appropriate constitutive relationships and elastic constants.
Perform stress and strain transformations, including the determination of principal values and orientations using Mohr’s circle and tensor invariants.
Compute strain energy in deformable bodies and apply energy principles in structural analysis.
Interpret time-dependent material behavior using basic viscoelastic models.
Integrate knowledge of mechanics and material behavior to evaluate structural performance under complex loading conditions.

Program Outcomes Matrix