3.11 : MECHANICS OF MATERIALS F01
ABET EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES OUTCOMES

CHRISTINE ORTIZ

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE)

77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE 1:

Develop the formal theory of solid mechanics : the equilibrium, kinematic, and constitutive equations.

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OUTCOMES 1:

1. To apply the formal theory of solid mechanics to calculate forces, deflections, moments, stresses, and strains in a wide variety of structural members subjected to tension, compression, torsion, bending, both individually and in combination, including :

· axially loaded bars

· components in pure shear

· circular shafts in torsion

· beams in bending

· thin-walled pressure vessels

· trusses

2. To understand the concepts of stress at a point, strain at a point, and the stress-strain relationships for linear, elastic, homogeneous, isotropic materials.

3. To determine principal stresses and angles, maximum shearing stresses and angles, and the stresses acting on any arbitrary plane within a structural element.

4 To draw Free Body Diagrams (FBD) for rigid bodies, beams, 2-D and 3-D structures, frames and machines, and set up equilibrium equations (i.e. forces and couples) for them.

5. To utilize basic properties of materials such as elastic moduli and Poisson's ratio to appropriately to solve problems related to isotropic elasticity.

6. To solve problems and identify the fundamental elements involved in the mechanical design of engineering structures; e.g. which failure / safety criterion to apply for different applications, failure prediction and analysis.

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INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE 2:

Introduce the atomistic mechanisms underlying the mechanical behavior of materials.

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OUTCOMES 2 :

1. To explain the molecular origins of the following material properties in a variety of different types of materials :

· elastic moduli

· Poisson's ratio

· yield strength

· tensile strength

· plasticity : drawing, crazing, creep, strain hardening

· thermal strain

· toughness

· fracture and fracture toughness

2. To discern between entropic and enthalpic contributions to deformation and know which dominate for different types of materials and why.

3. To employ and set up phenomenological models that represent molecular mechanisms of deformation and use those models to predict macroscopic mechanical response, e.g. the linear theory of viscoelasticity.

4. To understand some basic relationships between molecular and microscopic and macroscopic mechanisms of deformation.

5. To understand and solve problems involving basic macromolecular mechanics: the kinetic theory of rubber elasticity and the linear theory of viscoelasticity.

6. To interpret stress versus strain curves for a variety of different classes of materials and understand the concepts of stored and dissipated strain energies in relation to toughness.

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INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE 3:

Instill a basic knowledge of the statistical aspects of mechanics of materials.

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OUTCOMES 3:

1. To understand how statistical mechanics can be employed to predict the macroscopic mechanical properties of polymers via the kinetic theory of rubber elasticity.

2. To appreciate the statistical nature of fracture and fatigue, especially in high-strength, brittle materials, and to know how to design an acceptable level of risk for a particular component and application.

3. To interpret and understand statistical data of fracture and fatigue.

4. To comprehend the following fundamental statistical concepts and apply them to mechanics of materials problems :

· arithmetic mean and standard deviation

· variability

· probability and probability distributions

· "goodness of fit" and "Chi-square test"

· confidence limits

5. To continue developing mathematics and computer operations for engineering problems.

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INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE 4:

Establish process - structure - property - performance relationships in materials engineering.

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OUTCOMES 4:

1. To appreciate multi-scale structure effects on material properties.

2. To learn the basics of materials selection by identifying appropriate criteria, categorizing materials and describing a range of properties available from similar materials.

3. To identify relationships between manufacturing processes and materials' behaviour and recognize the influence of composition and structure on the processsing and usage of materials.