Strength of materials
Undergraduate · Engineering
Syllabus focus
Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Axial and torsional loading
- Normal stress and strain under axial loading
- Stress-strain diagrams and elastic limit
- Poisson's ratio and generalized Hooke's law basics
- Thermal expansion and indeterminate axial members
- Shear stress and strain definitions
- Torsion of circular members: τ and θ relations
- Power and torque in rotating shafts
- Statically determinate versus indeterminate torsion
- Allowable stress and factor of safety in design
- Stress concentration at geometric discontinuities
Bending, shear, and combined loading
- Shear and moment diagrams for beams
- Flexure formula and neutral axis concept
- Beam deflection by integration and superposition
- Transverse shear stress in thin-walled beams
- Shear center for open sections (intro)
- Combined axial, bending, and torsion loading
- Principal stresses via transformation equations
- Mohr's circle for plane stress
- Thin-walled pressure vessel stresses
- Failure criteria for ductile materials
STEM / applied
Columns, energy methods, and design
- Euler buckling and effective length factors
- Intermediate column formulas (Johnson, secant)
- Strain energy and Castigliano's theorem (intro)
- Impact loading and dynamic amplification
- Fatigue strength and endurance limit modifications
- Selection of structural shapes from tables
- Welded and bolted connection design awareness
- Experimental strain measurement in lab
- FEA post-processing of stress results
- Design project: loaded bracket or shaft analysis
Industry practice
- Reading AISC steel manual excerpts for design
- ASME pressure vessel code awareness (intro)
- Quality control: hardness and NDT for welds
- Material test reports and cert traceability
- Failure investigation case studies
- Machine element integration with strength checks
- Software tools for section property lookup
- Sustainability: lightweighting trade-offs
- FE strength of materials exam drills
- Professional ethics in structural sign-off
Study units
Each unit includes a study guide, worksheets, review, practice test, and answer key. One unit is free; subscribe for the full class.
- Axial and torsional loading
Normal stress and strain under axial loading
Coming soon - Bending, shear, and combined loading
Shear and moment diagrams for beams
Coming soon
Notes
Topics reflect common engineering syllabi at US colleges and universities. Exact order, depth, and applied emphasis vary by institution, department, and instructor.