ABSTRACT
The advent of computer technology has made possible remarkable advances in the analytical methods, notably the
finite element method
, for solving problems of mechanics of materials. Prior to the computer, practical solutions were largely restricted to simple and idealized problems. Today, the technology is capable of analyzing complex three-dimensional structural systems with nonlinear material properties. Although this chapter will be limited to presenting the classical topics, the relatively simple methods employed are unusually useful as they apply to a vast number of technically important and practical problems of structural engineering.
