Born in France and educated in France and Switzerland, Ferdinand Beer held an M.S. degree from the Sorbonne and an Sc.D. degree in theoretical mechanics from the University of Geneva. He came to the United States after serving in the French army during the early part of World War II and taught for four years at Williams College in the Williams-MIT joint arts and engineering program. Following his service at Williams College, Beer joined the faculty of Lehigh University, where he taught for thirty-seven years. He held several positions, including the University Distinguished Professors Chair and Chairman of the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Department. In 1995, Beer was awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree by Lehigh University.
1) Introduction-Concept ofStress
2) Stress and Strain-AxialLoading
3) Torsion
4) Pure Bending
5) Analysis and Design ofBeams for Bending
6) Shearing Stresses inBeams and Thin-Walled Members
7) Transformations ofStress and Strain
8) Principal StressesUnder a Given Loading
9) Deflection of Beams
10) Columns
11) Energy Methods
Appendices
A - Principal Units Usedin Mechanics
B - Centroids and Momentsof Areas
C - Centroids and Momentsof Inertia of Common Geometric Shapes
D - Typical Properties ofSelected Materials Used in Engineering
E - Properties ofRolled-Steel Shapes
F - Beam Deflections andSlopes
G - Fundamentals ofEngineering Examination
