Mechanics of Materials
Spring 2015 – C. E. Room 110
MWF 8:00am – 8:50am – CRN: 10723
Professor: Lee L. Lowery, Jr., PhD, P.E.
Office: CVLB Building, Room 705c
Phone: 979-845-4395 (Office), 979-775-5401 (Home)
e-mail: Lowery@tamu.edu
Office Hours:
NOTE: Office hours listed below are suspended on the days before major exams and finals, giving me time to make them out. Do not wait until the day before a major exam for help, unless the tutor has office hours and can help you on that day, or plan to see me earlier in the week.
It will always be in your best interest to call to make sure I have not been unexpectedly called out before you come by, unless you are already in the area.
Click here to activate your text, and for other information peculiar to this class.
Help Desk: Tutoring hours for help in the class can be found here
Yo get to the help desk in the CE Building, go to the basement and turn right. It’s the first door on the right. Room 030 CE Building
Textbook: The textbook is excellent – one of the best:
- Beer, Ferdinand P., E. Russell Johnston, Jr., John T. DeWolf, and David F. Mazurek. Mechanics of Materials. 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill.
Looking for a used textbook? ISBN number: 9780073398235 but I don’t think you can get into the computer-graded homework problems now used in this class.
Note that the internet is a thieves paradise. If they won’t show you this cover, it’s probably not the correct 7th edition. Also, although the international editions are inexpensive they may be all metric including both the example problems and homework problems.
- Texas A&M University bookstore Fill in the Department, Course, and section number
Catalog Description:
Stress/deformation relationships for continuous media to structural members; axially loaded members; thin-walled pressure vessels; torsional and flexural members; shear; moment; deflection of members; combined loadings; stability of columns; non-symmetrical bending, shear center; indeterminate members; elastic foundations. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of CVEN 221 or equivalent (Statics).
Course Objectives:
- To introduce students to applications of stress and deformation relationships for structural members subjected to axial, torsional, and bending loads, and thin-walled pressure vessels. Students will study stress and deformation of structural members under combined loadings, stability of columns, nonsymmetrical bending, including indeterminate members.
Learning Outcomes – This course emphasizes the following ABET Learning Outcomes. Note that the letters refer to those used by ABET.
- (a) Ability to apply knowledge of basic mathematics, science, and engineering.
Course Prerequisites:
To take CVEN 305, you must have been admitted to upper level in Civil Engineering, and have received a passing grade (no D’s, F’s or I’s) in CVEN 221 or MEEN 221 or equivalent, and completed MATH 251.
Course Assessment:
- Graded weekly exams: Weekly quizzes 1 through 13, depending on how many we take = 60% of final grade
- Graded homework assignments, Readiness Assessment Tests (RATs, in-class pop tests), Class Participation, Attendance, Projects (all of equal value unless stated otherwise at the time of assignment) 10% of final grade
- Final exam: 30% of final grade
Syllabus Information:
- Homework
- Format for Exams and Quizzes
- Where to get help for 305
- Grading
- Major Exams
- Make-up exams
- Attendance
- Illness
- Academic Dishonesty Policy
- Finally, click here!
Resources available to the student:
- Instructor of record: Dr. Lee L. Lowery, Jr.
- TA Help Desk Schedule
- eCampus.tamu.edu <—- TO GET YOUR GRADES
- See Dr. Beason’s excellent videos – password = videos
- Computer software (Excel, EES)
- EES (Engineering Equation Solver) What it is, how to get it, video example on using it, user’s manual, short tutorial
- Computers in the Civil Engineering Computer Labs
- Old Exams and this semester’s exam solutions
- Chances of making what grade in Lowery’s 305 class after Quiz A and after Quiz B
- Spring 2016 class video lectures and notes posted during this semester.
- Please note: Use of videos.
- Summer 2015 class video lectures and notes
- Tutoring help and use of the solution manual <—– for 2016 Spring semester
- Access to the Civil Engineering Apps Server
- Some good videos on plane stress, principal stresses, Mohr’s circle, failure theories, pressure vessels
- Typical point deductions you can expect on exams and pop quizzes
- FAQ: Quick Answers to student questions
- Class seating Chart
- Video examples – Strength of materials problems and some by Dr. Beason
- Equation sheets – Print out and bring on Wednesdays for the final exam, weekly exams and pop quizzes, unless the equations are on the exams themselves.
The correct time (to the nanosecond)
Course Schedule:
Weekly minor exams: Weekly quizzes will be given during the last half of each Wednesday, when we have one (not always, but be prepared).
Noted on Homework:
The homework assignments may have to be modified from that shown below, depending on our progress during the semester. Please check the list for changes each day before you work them.
Notes on required viewing of videos:
Quite a few of the homework problems normally assigned in this class have been dropped and replaced in favor of viewing a few videos before coming to class. These video assignments can be accessed by going to http://ceprofs.tamu.edu/lbeason/Password.html. The password is “videos”. They are also listed in the Video column below. In each case, you should print out the notes, and then view the following videos. Again, in my case I have to use Firefox to view the videos. I am told Chrome also works. IE may work for you if Flash works on your computer. If you get Flash here BE SURE to unclick their “Optional Offer” garbage before installing it.