Customer Reviews

An Introduction to the Theory of Elasticity (Dover Books on Physics)

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Exellent elementary introduction to the theory of elasticity. Clear and concise exposition of the basic principles, with many valuable applications and exercises. Requires only basic knowledge in physics, calculus incl. vector analysis and linear algebra. Good starting point for more advanced treatments of the subject.

I read the first three chapters because I am only interested in finite strains. It is very well written and easy to follow but some concepts need more elaboration such as the 2nd PK stress, or for example there is no mention of Green-Lagrange strain. So it's a good introduction but doesn't go into a lot of detail as you can tell from the volume of the book.

This is a pretty good primer to the theory of elasticity. Mind you, this is elasticity and not strength of materials, so get ready for some vector/tensor calculus and differential equations. Topics include basic kinematics and dynamics, finite and infinitesimal deformation theories, and then solving problems concerning the basic deformation modes (extension, torsion, bending). Atkin and Fox do a remarkable job of distilling down the very basic concepts, and then making a fairly lucid presentation. Some of the development includes some interesting proofs that I haven't seen in other continuum mechanics books. The emphasis is on analytically solving problems (as opposed to numerically), and, as appropriate for the introductory level, only cursorily discusses existence and uniqueness of solutions. I think the power of this book is how well they tie the solution process back to the boundary-value problem as we understand it- governing equations, boundary conditions, constitutive relationships, and compatibility- although the authors never come out and beat you over the head with such a statement.

My main gripe with the book is that the notation is nowhere close to consistent across the book. With only 230 pages and such a small number of topics, this is inexcusable. Everything is clear in context, but you do have to be aware that a good deal of context switching occurs. Sometimes kappa is the bulk modulus and other times it is just a constant. Sometimes the unit normal vector is (n1, n2, n3) and sometimes it is (l,m,n). Sometimes the coordinates are (x1, x2, x3) and other times they are (x, y, z). The authors switch between Gibbs notation (boldface symbols) and indicial notation at will, which is no big deal for the experienced reader, but I know that when I was new to the subject, that switching drove me crazy. My other complaint is the organization- I think certain points could be better made if the material was presented in a different order. Nevertheless, I would very much recommend this for novice and journeyman mechanicians interested in elasticity.