FUNDAMENTALS OF CONTINUUM MECHANICS

This textbook offers a concise yet rigorous treatment of continuum mechanics at the introductory level. It differs from traditional textbooks by combining tensor analysis with mechanical analysis and teaching the former’s basics within a single chapter. Readers of this book are not required to have learned tensor analysis in the context of engineering mathematics beforehand. The basic objectives of continuum mechanics are included in this textbook to facilitate an easy and thorough understanding of the concepts of continuum mechanics and elasticity. In addition, the mathematics and physics of deformation and kinematics are introduced and studied from the concept of stretch rather than from the traditional approach of strain. The large deformation problem of new smart soft materials is also introduced. This textbook provides illustrative examples and problem sets that enable readers to test their understanding of the subject matter and utilize the tools developed in the formulation of engineering problems. It is suitable for students whose undergraduate disciplines are non-mechanics-related fields. It also helps students or engineers who use the finite element method (FEM) to analyze problems to interpret the results produced by FEM software.