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Jenn Stroud Rossmann, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is publishing a new textbook entitled Introduction to Engineering Mechanics: A Continuum Approach. Co-authored by Clive L. Dym, Fletcher Jones Professor of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College in California, the book is scheduled to be released on Oct. 23 by CRC Press.
An accessible introduction to the fundamentals of solid and fluid mechanics, the textbook emphasizes practical applications of these concepts to mechanical, civil, biomedical, and electrical engineering structures and design. Rossmann says she approached the subject with a background in biomechanics research.
“Usually, we teach engineers about solids (like steel) in one class, and then we teach about fluids (liquids and gases) in another class,” she explains. “If they stick with us long enough, we let them take a class called continuum mechanics where we pull away the curtain and show them that ‘Ta-Da!’ Solids and fluids aren’t so different after all.”
The idea of the book is that an engineering education can begin with this “Ta-Da!” moment. “We introduce the mechanics of all materials, acknowledging from the beginning that there’s a spectrum of material behavior with ideal solids at one end, ideal fluids at the other, and a whole lot of complicated materials (like cartilage, glass, toothpaste, and blood) in between.”
A unique element of the book is the use of case studies and historical context to explain theories, equations, and methods.
Rossmann says she loves to tell students about the personalities behind the science, such as Eugene Cook Bingham, former chemistry professor and department head at Lafayette. The materials known as Bingham Plastics, or Bingham Fluids, are some of those “in-between” materials addressed in the text. Another example is the lopsided feud between Sirs Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton, where Hooke was afraid to publish his work and have it appropriated by Newton.
“I can see this book being useful to students in any engineering discipline – mechanical or electrical, bioengineering or engineering studies,” says Rossmann. “I also think it would make a decent introduction to mechanics for non-engineers.”
“Clive and I are indebted to the many students who have taken our classes and given us feedback that has helped us explain things in the clearest, most engaging and accessible way we can.”