Summary

Resoundingly popular in its first edition, the second edition of Mechanics of Structures: Variational and Computational Methods promises to be even more so, with broader coverage, expanded discussions, and a streamlined presentation.

The authors begin by describing the behavior of deformable solids through the differential equations for the strength of materials and the theory of elasticity. They next introduce variational principles, including mixed or generalized principles, and derive integral forms of the governing equations. Discussions then move to computational methods, including the finite element method, and these are developed to solve the differential and integral equations.

New in the second edition:

A one-dimensional introduction to the finite element method, complete with illustrations of numerical mesh refinement
Expansion of the use of Galerkin's method.
Discussion of recent developments in the theory of bending and torsion of thin-walled beams.
An appendix summarizing the fundamental equations in differential and variational form
Completely new treatment of stability, including detailed examples
Discussion of the principal values of geometric properties and stresses
Additional exercises

As a textbook or as a reference, Mechanics of Structures builds a unified, variational foundation for structure mechanics, which in turn forms the basis for the computational solid mechanics so essential to modern engineering.