Applied Continuum Mechanics

Course Overview

Continuum mechanics is a powerful method of modeling physical systems of a very large variety. In this course students will learn the basic elements for describing system state and how balance laws are formulated to ensure correct system response. The developed methodology will first be applied to basic problems in elasticity, followed by application to poroelastic systems, batteries, and piezoelectric material systems.

The foundations gained from this course will allow students to understand how continua, both simple and complex, are properly modeled. It will set them up to be able to formulate continuum mechanical problems and it will allow them to more fully understand numerical solutions that are arrived at via modern computational methods, such as the finite element method. This course sets students up for the ability to contribute a sophisticated perspective on modeling questions that arise in a wide variety of engineering problem classes.