The Department of Engineering Mechanics is a foundational unit within civil engineering schools, serving a dual mission of delivering core education and conducting advanced research. Its primary function is to provide all civil engineering students with a rigorous understanding of the mechanical principles governing the behavior of structures and materials. Simultaneously, it engages in specialized research that bridges theoretical mechanics and practical engineering applications, ensuring the continued development of innovative and safe infrastructure design.
The department is responsible for teaching the fundamental mechanics sequence essential to the civil engineering curriculum. This includes core courses such as Theoretical Mechanics (statics, dynamics), Mechanics of Materials (stress, strain, buckling), and Structural Mechanics (analysis of trusses and frames). For advanced undergraduates and postgraduates, it offers specialized courses including Elasticity and Plasticity Theory, Finite Element Method (FEM), Structural Dynamics, and Experimental Mechanics. The curriculum emphasizes the application of theory through analytical problem-solving, laboratory experiments, and computational modeling using professional software, ensuring graduates possess strong analytical and practical skills.
Research activities within the department center on the intersection of mechanics and civil engineering challenges. Key areas include computational mechanics, focusing on the development of advanced numerical methods and multi-scale modeling techniques for simulating complex material and structural behavior. Additional research examines constitutive modeling of engineering materials, studying failure mechanisms and long-term properties of traditional and novel materials. Further specialization includes structural dynamics and control for seismic and wind engineering, fluid-structure interaction for offshore and hydraulic structures, and advanced experimental mechanics using digital image correlation and acoustic emission for model validation and structural health monitoring.
In summary, the Department of Engineering Mechanics is integral to civil engineering education and innovation. It ensures students master the analytical foundations necessary for engineering design, while its research contributes directly to solving complex problems in structural resilience, material science, and dynamic systems, supporting the development of more sustainable and advanced infrastructure.
