OSPHONGK 85: Introduction to Solid Mechanics

Instructor: Wendy Gu

The first two-thirds of the course will consist of biweekly lectures, that consist of instructional material and flipped-classroom style problem solving sessions. Statics lectures typically include examples of buildings and bridges. In this class, I will use Hong Kong buildings and bridges, and case studies of engineering successes and failures in Hong Kong. Through this, students will be exposed to Hong Kong history and culture. Learning will be supported by weekly problem sets. The course will have one midterm exam and one final exam. Lectures will be supplemented by field trips to Hong Kong’s engineering marvels. For instance, the unit on trusses will be supplemented by visiting and comparing the Tsing Ma Bridge, the world’s longest suspension bridge, and the Lek Yuen Bridge, a stone, pedestrian footbridge that spans a river. I will also organize a guest lecture from a researcher at the City University of Hong Kong, as well as a visit to a laboratory at the City University of Hong Kong. The last third of the course will be project based. The students will design, build and test a bridge using their knowledge of trusses and material failure. The goal of the project will be to predict the failure location within the bridge, as well as the failure force. The project will be linked to the study aboard site by learning about and using building materials traditional to Hong Kong, such as bamboo and jute. Construction using traditional Chinese wood joinery (e.g. tongue and groove) will be compared to modern adhesives (e.g. superglue).

Units: 4 | Grading Basis: Letter Grade | Component: Lecture

*All courses are subject to change.