This new edition offers expanded coverage of the subject matter both in terms of details and contents, providing greater flexibility for either a one or two-semester course in either continuum mechanics or elasticity. Although this current edition has expanded the coverage of the subject matter, it nevertheless uses the same approach as that in the earlier editions - that one can cover advanced topics in an elementary way that go from simple to complex, using a wealth of illustrative examples and problems. It is, and will remain, one of the most accessible textbooks on this challenging engineering subject.
W. Michael Lai is Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and Orthpaedic Bioengineering at Columbia University. He received his Ph.D in Engineering Mechanics in 1962 from the University of Michigan. Between 1962 and 1986, he was a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He joined the Columbia faculty in 1987 with a joint appointment between the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He served as Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1996 to 2002 and became Professor Emeritus in 2004. His research field has been in Orthopaedic Bioengineering with a special interest in soft tissue mechanics. He is a Fellow of ASME and a founding Fellow of the American Institute for Biomedical and Biological Engineering (1995).
Dr. David Rubin is a retired principal and senior scientist at Weidlinger Associates, a former engineering firm in New York City