As a primary branch of physical mechanics, continuum mechanics deals with forces and behaviours that are continuous throughout a material or system, be it solid or fluid. It includes such behaviors as stress, strain, kinematics, elasticity, and plasticity. Without a thorough understanding of continuum mechancs, virtually all advanced mechanical engineering would be impossible. This classic text by noted educators, W. Michael Lai, David Rubin and Erhard Krempl, has been used for over 30 years to introduce continuum mechanics from the upper undergraduate to graduate level. It begins with a thorough yet highly accessible grounding in the underyling princples: tensor analysis and kinematics. The text presumes prior knowledge of basic differential and integral calculus, but no more. The book goes on to provide examples of everyday applications of continuum methods to such classic problems as loading and deformation of solids as well as stress response in both Newtonian viscous and Non-Newtonian fluids. This new edition offers improvements to address evolving teaching methods, with greater flexibility for either one or two-semeseter usage, including more enhanced coverage of elasticity, and improved problem sets and more real-world applications. It is, and will remain, one of the most accessible textbooks on a perennially challenging engineering subject.
- Significantly expanded coverage of elasticity in Chapter 5, including solutions of some 3-D problems based on the fundamental potential functions approach.
- New section at the end of Chapter 4 devoted to the integral formulation of the field equations
- Seven new appendices appear at the end of the relevant chapters to help make each chapter more self-contained
- Expanded and improved problem sets providing both intellectual challenges and engineering applications
W. Michael Lai is Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and Orthpaedic Bioengineering at Columbia University. He received his Ph.D in Engineering Mechanics in 1962 from the University of Michigan. Between 1962 and 1986, he was a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He joined the Columbia faculty in 1987 with a joint appointment between the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He served as Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1996 to 2002 and became Professor Emeritus in 2004. His research field has been in Orthopaedic Bioengineering with a special interest in soft tissue mechanics. He is a Fellow of ASME and a founding Fellow of the American Institute for Biomedical and Biological Engineering (1995).
Dr. David Rubin is a retired principal and senior scientist at Weidlinger Associates, a former engineering firm in New York City
