Energy and Computational Methods in Structural Mechanics

4 units · Graduate courses (200-299)

Lecture, four hours; outside study, eight hours. Requisite: course 156A or 166A. Review of theory of linear elasticity and reduced structural theories (rods, plates, and shells). Calculus of variations. Virtual work. Minimum and stationary variational principles. Variational approximation methods. Weighted residual methods, weak forms. Static finite element method. Isoparametric elements, beam and plate elements. Numerical quadrature. Letter grading.