CIVIL-425: Continuum mechanics and applications

Summary

This course covers the fundamentals of continuum mechanics theory at the level of the graduate level and provide modern examples of applications in mechanics of fluids, solids and structures. It is adequate for students with a background in civil engineering, mechanical or material

Official source

https://edu.epfl.ch/coursebook/en/continuum-mechanics-and-applications-CIVIL-425

Moodle Page

http://go.epfl.ch/CIVIL-425

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Instructors (2)

Related concepts (93)

Related courses (37)

Related MOOCs (26)

Jean-François Molinari

Professor J.F. Molinari is the director of the Computational Solid Mechanics Laboratory (http://lsms.epfl.ch) at EPFL, Switzerland. He holds an appointment in the Civil Engineering institute, which he directed from 2013 to 2017, and a joint appointment in the Materials Science institute. He started his tenure at EPFL in 2007, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2012. He is currently an elected member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation in Division 2 (Mathematics, Natural and Engineering Sciences), and co editor in chief of the journal Mechanics of Materials. J.F. Molinari graduated from Caltech, USA, in 2001, with a M.S. and Ph.D. in Aeronautics. He held professorships in several countries besides Switzerland, including the United States with a position in Mechanical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University (2000-2006), and France at Ecole Normale Supérieure Cachan in Mechanics (2005-2007), as well as a Teaching Associate position at the Ecole Polytechnique de Paris (2006-2009). The work conducted by Prof. Molinari and his collaborators takes place at the frontier between traditional disciplines and covers several length scales from atomistic to macroscopic scales. Over the years, Professor Molinari and his group have been developing novel multiscale approaches for a seamless coupling across scales. The activities of the laboratory span the domains of damage mechanics of materials and structures, nano- and microstructural mechanical properties, and tribology.

Brice Tanguy Alphonse Lecampion

I am currently an assistant Professor and the head of the Geo-Energy Lab - Gaznat Chair on GeoEnergy at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. Prior to joining EPFL, I have worked for Schlumberger in research and development from 2006 until May 2015 - serving in a variety of roles ranging from project manager to principal scientist in both Europe and the United States. I received my PhD in mechanics from Ecole Polytechnique, France in 2002 and worked as a research scientist in the hydraulic fracturing research group of CSIRO division of Petroleum resources (Melbourne, Australia) from 2003 to 2006. During my time in Schlumberger R&D, I have worked on problems related to the integrity of deep wells, large scale monitoring of reservoir deformation and more specifically on the stimulation of oil and gas wells by hydraulic fracturing. My current research interests cover hydraulic fracture mechanics, mechanics of porous media and dense suspensions flow.

Fluid mechanics

Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical, and biomedical engineering, as well as geophysics, oceanography, meteorology, astrophysics, and biology. It can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion.

Continuum mechanics

Continuum mechanics is a branch of mechanics that deals with the deformation of and transmission of forces through materials modeled as a continuous mass rather than as discrete particles. The French mathematician Augustin-Louis Cauchy was the first to formulate such models in the 19th century. A continuum model assumes that the substance of the object completely fills the space it occupies. This ignores the fact that matter is made of atoms, however provides a sufficiently accurate description of matter on length scales much greater than that of inter-atomic distances.

Non-Newtonian fluid

A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid that does not follow Newton's law of viscosity, that is, it has variable viscosity dependent on stress. In non-Newtonian fluids, viscosity can change when under force to either more liquid or more solid. Ketchup, for example, becomes runnier when shaken and is thus a non-Newtonian fluid. Many salt solutions and molten polymers are , as are many commonly found substances such as custard, toothpaste, starch suspensions, corn starch, paint, blood, melted butter, and shampoo.

Solid mechanics

Solid mechanics (also known as mechanics of solids) is the 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. Solid mechanics is fundamental for civil, aerospace, nuclear, biomedical and mechanical engineering, for geology, and for many branches of physics and chemistry such as materials science.

Fluid

In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that continuously deforms (flows) under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or, in simpler terms, are substances which cannot resist any shear force applied to them. Although the term fluid generally includes both the liquid and gas phases, its definition varies among branches of science. Definitions of solid vary as well, and depending on field, some substances can be both fluid and solid.