Advanced solid mechanics

The course will be topical but evolving in a natural flow.  Topics will include:

Anisotropic Elasticity: beyond isotropic elasticity

Homogenization methods: the connection between microstructure of a material and the macroscopic effective properties that can be used in continuum analyses

Laminate theory: the special case of fiber composites as layered anisotropic materials, connecting fiber/matrix properties to macroscopic structural response.

Inclusions and Eshelby analysis: stresses and strains around particles embedded in a matrix and undergoing transformations that affect functional performance and failure, with connections to homogenization theory.

Fracture mechanics: basic understanding of the driving forces for crack growth, from both energy and stress perspectives, with advanced concepts for implementation in numerical methods.