Elements of Structures

An introduction to the strength of materials, this course will teach you to understand and predict the mechanical response of deformable solids like rods, beams and shafts using computational analysis.

Elements of Structures

An introduction to the strength of materials, this course will teach you to understand and predict the mechanical response of deformable solids like rods, beams and shafts using computational analysis.

This online course from the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering introduces principles of structural analysis and mechanics of materials for understanding and predicting material behavior under stress.

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You will learn fundamental concepts of continuum mechanics, including internal resultants, displacement field, stress, and strain, with applications to three essential types of elastic load-bearing elements: bars in axial loading, axisymmetric shafts in torsion, and symmetric beams in bending.

While emphasizing analytical techniques, the course also introduces computing environments using MATLAB and numerical methods (Finite Elements).

This is the first course in a 3-part series which explores how mechanical engineers use analytical methods and calculations to predict structural behavior. The three courses in the series are:

Part 1 – 2.01x: Elements of Structures. Elastic response of Structural Elements: Bars, Shafts, Beams.

Part 2 – 2.02.1x Mechanics of Deformable Structures: Part 1. Assemblages of Elastic, Elastic-Plastic, and Viscoelastic Structural Elements.

Part 3 – 2.02.2x Mechanics of Deformable Structures: Part 2. Multi-axial Loading and Deformation. Energy Methods.

Based on the first subject in solid mechanics for MIT Mechanical Engineering students, these undergraduate-level courses will teach you to rely on the notions of equilibrium, geometric compatibility, and constitutive material response to ensure that your structures will perform their specified mechanical functions without failing.

What you'll learn

In this course, you will:

  • Use free body diagrams to formulate equilibrium equations
  • Identify geometric constraints to formulate compatibility equations
  • Understand the concepts of stress and strain at a material point.

For three fundamental types of slender structural elements (elastic bars, beams and shafts) you will learn:

  • To calculate internal stress and strain fields in the loaded elements
  • To predict the deformation in the loaded elements
  • To design structural elements so as to prevent failure
  • To use numerical methods (MATLAB) in structural engineering application

Prerequisites

Multivariable Calculus. Physics: Classical Mechanics (Derivatives, Integrals (1D, 2D), Vectors, Forces, Torques)

Meet your instructors

  • Featured image for Alexie M. Kolpak
    Rockwell International Career Development Assistant Professor
  • Featured image for Simona Socrate
    Senior Lecturer

Who can take this course?

Because of U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) restrictions and other U.S. federal regulations, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba, North Korea and the Crimea, Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic regions of Ukraine.