Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

A concise, practically oriented presentation. Beginning from a review of statics, Ross covers the basics of material properties, stress and strain, and then geometric properties of sections. These ideas are applied and extended to analyze stresses and deflections of cables, beams, columns, circular shafts, and thin-wall pressure vessels. There is a good treatment of complex (combined) stress and strain states, including strain gage applications and an introduction to energy methods. Ross describes strain gage theory, circuit diagrams, gage types and installation, ending with photoelasticity and brief descriptions of other experimental methods. There is a wide variety of step-by-step examples and practice problems in each chapter. A few terms are likely to be unfamiliar to a US reader, but an exposure to these European usages is valuable. Several BASIC computer programs are included, but the print quality of the listings, although readable, is not good. Distributed loads are shown in the illustrations in an unusual way and may confuse some users. Definitely recommended as a reference for all libraries serving undergraduate programs in mechanics of materials or stress analysis.-J.A. Murden, Clemson University