Solid Mechanics - 2020 entry

Engineers designing machines and structures are often required to balance competing demands such as the requirement to be cheap to manufacture/assemble, to have low weight, and yet be strong and safe. Such demands require Engineers to master a set of analytical skills, many of which are tackled in this module.

 

Structures fail when they are overloaded and calculating the internal stresses and strains within solid objects allows you to design safe, efficient structures. On this module, building on the first year introduction to mechanics, you will explore how static and dynamic forces act within solid bodies. In Statics you will look at ‘indeterminate’ structures, plasticity, and power transmission systems.

 

In Dynamics you will look at vibrations; exploring the response of structures to dynamic forces such as those generated by wind loading on buildings, traffic on bridges and potholes in roads on cars.

 

Completing this course will enable you to calculate the stresses and strains within a static object, determine failure loads for some structures, and the behaviour of systems subjected to fluctuating forces.

 

Prerequisite module: ECM1102 or equivalent

This module is designed to extend your knowledge of solid mechanics, statics and dynamics. The concepts are fundamental to engineering and all engineersshould understand them. The module will prove useful if you are studying Engineering and Management, and lead into more advanced topics in later terms if you are studying Civil and Mechanical Engineering.

This is a constituent module of one or more degree programmes which are accredited by a professional engineering institution under licence from the Engineering Council. The learning outcomes for this module have been mapped to the output standards required for an accredited programme, as listed in the current version

of the Engineering Council’s ‘Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes’ document (AHEP-V3).

 

This module contributes to learning outcomes: SM1p-SM3p, SM1m-SM3m, SM5m, EA1p-EA4p, EA1m-EA6m, D2p-D4p, D2m-D4m, D7m, D8m, EP2p, EP2m, EP4p, EP4m, G1p, G1m, G2p, G2m

 

A full list of the referenced outcomes is provided online:

https://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/studentinfo/subjects/engineering/accreditation/

 

The AHEP document can be viewed in full on the Engineering Council’s website, at http://www.engc.org.uk/

 

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:

 

1 analyse internal stresses in solid members, incl around stress concentrations, members in torsion, pressure vessels and beams;

 

2 understand shear within solids under load, the conditions of plane stress and plane strain;

 

3 analyse systems exhibiting Simple Harmonic Motion, compare damped and undamped, forced and naturally oscillating systems;

 

4 solve the motion of simple and non-linear vibrating systems and of coupled oscillating systems.

 

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:

 

5 demonstrate increased abilities in the mathematical analysis of engineering problems;

 

6 apply eqilibrium and compatibility techniques to unfamiliar problems.

 

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Skills and Knowledge:

 

7 demonstrate improved critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Solid Mechanics (Statics):

- stresses/strains/displacements on prismatic bars, inclined sections;

- Stress/strain diagram, Hooke’s law, Poisson’s ratio, normal/shear/bearing stress, stiffness/flexibility.

- Statically determinate/indeterminate systems, free body diagrams, equilibrium and compatibility

- Elastic strain energy

- Stress concentrations, St Venant's principle;

- torsion, (power transmission/statically indeterminate torsion members/strain energy in torsion and shear).

Dynamics:

- Inertial/elastic/damping forces in system. Linear/nonlinear, free/forced, damped/undamped systems. Degrees of Freedom of system

- simple harmonic motion in damped/undamped; underdamped, critically damped, overdamped behaviour. Logarithmic decrement and damping ratio

- forced systems; homogeneous + particular solution, dynamic amplification factor

- vibrational modes of coupled systems up to three d.o.f.

If a module is normally assessed entirely by coursework, all referred/deferred assessments will normally be by assignment.

 

If a module is normally assessed by examination or examination plus coursework, referred and deferred assessment will normally be by examination. For referrals, only the examination will count, a mark of 40% being awarded if the examination is passed. For deferrals, candidates will be awarded the higher of the deferred examination mark or the deferred examination mark combined with the original coursework mark.