A Concise Course in Elasticity

This textbook presents a concise and comprehensive treatment of the theory of elasticity. It covers both the linear and nonlinear aspects of the theory, including both statics and dynamics. Written to be accessible to the graduate student reader, this text promotes approachability by minimizing the use of complex mathematical tools, and instead emphasizing the formulation of the initial boundary value problems. This approach makes it an ideal resource for students as well as instructors seeking a textbook designed for a one-semester graduate course in elasticity.

Divided into ten chapters, the book begins with a brief review of the mechanics of materials. The theory of Cartesian tensors is then introduced, which serves as a mathematical preparation for the concise treatment of the nonlinear theory of elasticity that follows. The theory of linear elasticity is covered next with the remainder of the book then focusing on problem solving in linear elasticity. These chapters cover topics such as antiplane problems, plane-stress and plane-strain problems, and elastodynamics. Five appendices appear at the end, which include basic equations of elasticity in cylindrical, polar, and spherical coordinates, as well as a collection of vector identities that appear throughout the book.

A Concise Course in Elasticity is an ideal textbook for a one-semester graduate course on elasticity. Graduate students interested in this topic will appreciate the author’s accessible approach. Instructors will find the comprehensive coverage uniquely suited to providing an overview of the area. Readers are assumed to have some experience at the undergraduate level of the mechanics of materials.