The third edition of Mechanics of Solids and Structures makes use of computational methods such as the finite element method that has revolutionized the field to solve problems while retaining all the basic principles and foundational information needed for mastering advanced engineering mechanics principles and acquiring problem-solving skills. The authors have updated the text to include the integration of numerical approaches and MATLAB® computer programs into the body of the text for carrying out analysis of truss, beam, and frame structures. The third edition also offers an update to Chapters 1 through 4 as follows. All material related to determinate trusses and cables is moved to Chapter 1, as most students most likely were introduced to these topics in a course on statics. Thus, Chapter 1 of the current edition is a review of statics. The concepts of stress and strain and associated examples were moved from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2, with additional discussion of concepts and examples. Chapter 3 in the new edition deals with stress-strain relations with applications to determinate systems, including trusses and thin-walled pressure vessels. Indeterminate trusses and associated computer implementation have been moved from Chapter 4 of the second edition to Chapter 7 of the current edition. Other indeterminate systems from old Chapter 4 have been retained in new Chapter 4. The second major change is the updating of all the computational tools from FORTRAN to MATLAB and providing interactive tools (i.e., APPs) in Chapters 7, 10, and 12 of the new edition. All computational examples from Chapters 4 and 6 on trusses and beams of the second edition are consolidated into a new chapter, Chapter 7 with numerous examples and applications of newly included TRUSS2d, BEAM, and FRAME2d APPs. Chapter 7 also introduces finite element analysis of plane frames (a new topic). The authors have also added new examples and exercise problems throughout the book that allow students to practice and apply the concepts and formulas to solve problems.
Roger T. Fenner, now retired, was Professor of Engineering Computation in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Imperial College London, where his teaching included Mechanics of Solids. Much of his research was focused on computational stress analysis, especially using boundary element and finite element methods.
J. N. Reddy, the O’Donnell Foundation Chair IV Professor in J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, is a highly-cited researcher, author of 25 textbooks and over 800 journal papers, recipient of many honors and awards, and a leader in the applied mechanics field for more than 50 years. He is well-known worldwide for his significant contributions to the field of applied and computational mechanics through the authorship of widely used textbooks on mechanics of materials, continuum mechanics, linear and nonlinear finite element analyses, variational methods, numerical methods, and composite materials and structures.
Arun Srinivasa is the holder of the J. N. Reddy Endowed Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University and Associate Dean for Student Success. He teaches courses in mechanics both at graduate and undergraduate levels. He was awarded the Ben Sparks Medal from the ASME and the Archi Higdon Medal from the ASEE in recognition of his teaching.
