Course Description
A&AE 204 is a three credit course intended to introduce aerospace engineering
students to the basic ideas of solid mechanics. It is generally viewed that
mechanics is the science that describes and predicts the response of
bodies under the action of forces. The science of mechanics is often further
decomposed into the areas of: mechanics of rigid bodies, mechanics of deformable
bodies, and mechanics of fluids. An understanding of mechanics is required
by aerospace engineers so that they may design and analyze systems (such
as airplanes, satellites, rockets, etc.) to withstand the forces encountered
during operation. The mechanics of rigid bodies (often called statics and
dynamics) is covered in the course A&AE 203; fluid mechanics, as applied
to aerospace systems, will be introduced in A&AE 333. This course will
present topics in mechanics of deformable bodies. These topics will include
internal and resultant forces, deformation, stress, strain, and failure.
Course Goals
This course is intended to help you:
- To introduce the theory and concepts that describe how deformable bodies
behave when subject to forces
- To introduce basic concepts of material properties
- To allow application of these ideas for analysis of structures
- To use this knowledge to design new stuctures
Policies
Attendance
The University Regulations Handbook reads: "Students are expected
to be present for every meeting of the classes in which they are enrolled."
Regular attendance will not be taken, but if you must miss a class you are
responsible for the lecture material, assignments and/or announcements made.
Assignments, Exams and Projects
Reading and homework
assignments are to be completed by the day listed in the schedule.
Typically, homework assignments will be given on a Wednesday and are due the
following week. Two mid-term exams
and a final exam
will also be given during the course. Policies specific to each individual
type of assignment are found on the corresponding web-pages.
Course Grades
Course grades will be assigned based on the following distribution:
Each test and homework will be graded on a (points scored)/(points available)
basis. Total points available will vary, but each homework or exam will have
equal weight as other homeworks or exams. Grades will be assigned using a
criterion (straight scale) approach, but the the instructor reserves the
right to curve the grades if appropriate. Under no circumstance will the
scale be more stringent than the criterion given below, and a 50% or lower
will always fail. Grades will be rounded to the nearest integer percentage.
For example, an 89.49% will receive a "B"; an 89.50% will receive an "A" using
the straight scale.
| Score |
Grade |
|
90 - 100%
|
A
|
|
80 - 89%
|
B
|
|
70 - 79%
|
C
|
|
60 - 69%
|
D
|
|
0 - 59%
|
F
|
Course Materials
Most of the relevant information for this course will be provided by the
textbook and the course handouts / notes. The other references may be helpful
in providing an alternate discussion of the principles covered in class; these
may also provide example problems that will be helpful with homework assignments
and for preparing for exams.
Textbook
Gere, J. M., and Timoshenko, S. P., Mechanics of Materials, fifth
edition, Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, CA, 2001.
Statics Handout
Grandt, Jr., A. F., Review of Force Systems and Static Analysis, School
of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University, 1995.
Other Helpful References
Hibbeler, R. C., Statics and Mechanics of Materials, Macmillan Publishing
Company, New York, 1993.
Lardner, T. J., and Archer, R. R., Mechanics of Solids: An Introduction,
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1994.
Beer, F. P., and Johnston, Jr., E. R., Mechanics of Materials,
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1981.
Last modified May 29, 2001
