Lanza di Scalea's Group at UC San Diego 

Prof. Lanza di Scalea usually teaches the following courses:

Smart Structures (SE87) - freshman undergraduate seminar (typically offered in the Fall quarter)

Description: The lectures will give an overview of the field of “smart structures.” This includes an overview of "nerves" (sensing systems), "muscles" (actuation systems) and "brain" (processing systems) that compose a smart structure. The presentations will also focus on research topics in the areas of health monitoring, damage diagnosis and damage prognosis.

Solid Mechanics I (SE110A) - sophomore/junior undergraduate course (typically offered in the Winter quarter)

Description: Concepts of stress and strain. Hooke’s law. Stress transformation. Axial loading of bars. Torsion of circular shafts. Torsion of thin-walled members. Pure bending of beams. Unsymmetric bending of beams. Shear stresses in beams. Shear stresses in thin-walled beams. Shear center. Differential equation of the deflection curve. Deflections and slopes of beams from integration methods. Statically determinate and indeterminate problems.

Solid Mechanics II (SE110B) - sophomore/junior undergraduate course (typically offered in the Spring quarter)

Description: Stress transformation, three-dimensional stress/strain with Mohr’s representation, stress concentrations, failure criteria, fatigue (S-n curves), buckling of columns, energy methods, virtual work. 

Non-Destructive Evaluation (SE163/263) - senior undergraduate course & graduate course (typically offered in the Spring quarter)

Description: Introduction to NDE; liquid penetrant; time-domain and frequency-domain analysis of signals; elastic wave propagation; ultrasonic testing; impact-echo; acoustic emission testing; infrared thermography; modal-based vibrational techniques; X-ray imaging (on occasion). 

Experimental Mechanics & NDE (SE252) - graduate course (typically offered in the Winter quarter)

Description: Methods used for experimental solid mechanics, non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health monitoring (SHM) of structural components.  The subject includes 1) the quantitative measurement of the mechanical response (deformation, strain, motion) of a structural component to imposed loads, and 2) the evaluation of a structural component’s state of health nondestructively.  Relevant physical principles of continuum mechanics, electrical engineering, optics, acoustics and elastic wave propagation underlying the experimental methods covered to the extent required. Particular emphasis on the testing of fiber-reinforced composite materials for structural applications.