ES 240 Problem 6 Blog Entry

My name is John Peter Whitney, but I go by Peter. My parents set it up that way--I don't know why. This is my answer to Pset 2, problem 6:

* I last took solid mechanics Fall 2001. This sophomore-level course was taught by Professor Mark Spearing. We used Crandall, Dahl, and Lardner. I have forgotten almost everything from that class.

* My undergrad degree is in Physics, and my masters is in aerospace engineering (which I also studied but did not get a degree in as an undergrad).

* Strengths: Hmm, I think my math background is sufficient for the course. Also, I have endured lecturers with *far* worse handwriting, so I have no problems reading the board!

* Weaknesses: Well, I have very little experience in the subject, so while understanding the math and equations is not a problem, I have no "stockpile" of experience to draw on when attacking problems. When you solve problems, you need to know what approximations to make, how to set up boundary conditions, and with experience you learn the best way to "attack" a problem. I have none of this, which makes "problem solving" a tough job. Also, since I lack experience, I have a hard time creating a good "conceptual model" in my head. It is not natural for me to visualize, for example, a strain field, and have that make sense. There is really no solution to this except to do lots of problems and reading.

* I work for Professor Robert Wood on insect-like flying robots. Specifically, we make bee, moth, and fly-type robots. Google "Harvard robot fly" if you are interested in more info.

* Well, I have a pretty strong background in aerodynamics (thus the fly project), but I mostly came back to grad school because I really like to build things, and I wasn't doing enough (any) of that in industry as an aerodynamicist. My future career is pretty wide open. My main problem is that I am interested in everything, and can't "settle" down. I continue to be very interested in aerodynamics, and I am also very interested in mechanical design and optimization. My "likely research directions" include building things and solving interesting and fun problems.

* Solid mechanics will help a lot for my current research. We make piezoelectric actuators, which are frequently fracture limited. We make very tiny flexure joints, which are subject to failure at stress concentrations. Our wings are stress and stiffness limited, and many components of our flies are compliant. Our main fabrication technique is lamination of carbon fiber and polymer layers, so delamination is a big concern.

* Solid mechanics is pretty fundamental to mechanical engineering, so at least a grasp of the basics is, in my estimation, required.