ENME E3114: Experimental Mechanics of Materials
Explore the behavior of infrastructure materials through hands-on testing and applied materials science in this practical course.
Course Overview
This hands-on course will develop your understanding of how infrastructure materials behave under different loading conditions. Through eight core experiments, you will test materials such as steel, concrete and rubber under different loading conditions including tension and compression, flexure, and buckling. You’ll learn how to make visual observations, perform corresponding data analysis, obtain key material parameters, and determine how and why material properties agree or differ from theory. Performed in the Carleton Laboratory, our industry-standard testing facility, these experiments will train you in both the theory and practice of materials testing.
The course will also cover general materials science concepts such as processing-microstructure-properties, production, microstructure and performance of civil engineering materials. This will strengthen your understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving the deformations and failures observed in your lab experiments.Through this direct testing and observation work, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to drive innovation in practical, real-world projects.
To undertake this course, you must first complete ENME E3113 Mechanics of Solids.
Course Instructor
Shiho Kawashima
Associate Professor
Shiho Kawashima is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University. She specializes in cement and concrete rheology, low-carbon concrete formulations via waste upcycling and CO2 utilization, and additive manufacturing of cement- and earth-based materials for construction. She is an active member of American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Ceramics Society (ACerS) Cements Division, and the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems, and Structures (RILEM). She also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the ACI Materials Journal. Kawashima received her BS in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University, and her MS and PhD in Structural Engineering and Materials at Northwestern University. She joined Columbia University as an Assistant Professor in 2013.