Mechanics of Aircraft Structures

An accessible, state-of-the-art introduction to the most important topics in aerospace engineering today

This combined text and professional reference presents what every structural engineer needs to know about modern aircraft structures. Covering the latest developments in the field, it explores the role of commercial finite element codes in structural analysis, demonstrates the use of fracture mechanics to solve damage tolerance and durability problems in aircraft structures, and examines the penetration of composite materials into areas traditionally dominated by metals. Clear and accessible throughout, this book assumes only an introductory background in the mechanics of solids while explaining subjects typically found only in much more advanced texts. It offers ample examples, emphasizes concepts of mechanics rather than problem solving,and helps foster an in-depth understanding of the subject.

Mechanics of Aircraft Structures provides concise introductions to:

• Aerospace materials —advanced composites as well as metals
• The concept of anisotropy in material properties and properties of fiber composites
• A new approach for deriving the shear flow on thin-walled sections
• Methods for calculating strain energy release rates and stress intensity factors for simple structures
• Fracture mechanics topics —fatigue crack growth and fiber-reinforced composites
• The concept of postbuckling of thin rods
• Mechanics of composite materials and laminates.

Mechanics of Aircraft Structures combines classical and state-of-the-art topics into an excellent one-semester introductory course in structural mechanics and aerospace engineering at the undergraduate or graduate level. It is also an extremely useful resource for aerospace or mechanical engineers —especially in aerospace, automotive, and defense-related industries.