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Solid Mechanics

Alexandra Hyler prepares samples for testing in the lab

A Fundamental Engineering Science with Innumerable Applications 

Solid mechanics is a branch of continuum mechanics that studies the behavior of solid materials, especially their motion and deformation under the action of forces, temperature changes, phase changes, and other external or internal agents. As one of the fundamental applied engineering sciences, principles and applications of solid mechanics are used to describe, explain, and predict many of the world’s physical phenomena.

BEAM’s research in this area includes both theoretical and translational projects: Smart structures, functionally graded materials, acoustic fluid-structure interaction, vibrations, energy harvesting and transfer, soft tissue mechanics, mechanics of ligaments and tendons, and cellular mechanics. 

Affiliated Labs

EM Affiliate Faculty in Solid Mechanics

Scott Case,
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Shane Ross, Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Sohan Kale, Mechanical Engineering

Gary Seidel, Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Rakesh Kapania, Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Shima Shahab, Mechanical Engineering

Alexey Onufriev, Computer Science

Robert West, Mechanical Engineering