Mechanics of Material — What This Subject Is About
A beam bends, a column buckles, a bar stretches — and a civil engineer has to know by how much, and whether it will break. Mechanics of Material is the subject that teaches you the strength of materials: stress and strain, shear force and bending moment, and how beams and columns behave under load. It is one of the three 200-mark subjects of the 3rd semester, pairing a theory paper (3.4) with a lab (3.5).
You will draw stress–strain diagrams for mild steel, find the moment of inertia of L, T and I sections, draw shear force and bending moment diagrams for cantilevers and simply supported beams, and work out buckling loads for short and long columns using Euler's and Rankine's formulas. The lab puts you on the Universal Testing Machine — tension tests, compression tests, impact tests and a flexural test on a timber beam.
Subject 3.4 (Theory) + 3.5 (Lab) • Total 200 Marks • 3 Credits • 3rd Semester — Civil Engineering • Session 2026–27
About this document: Mechanics of Material appears twice in the 3rd semester — as a theory paper (3.4) and as a lab (3.5). Both are covered here, completely, in the official order.
What You Will Study
Unit 1 — Simple Stresses and Strains (6 Periods, 20%)
Properties of materials, classification of materials, elastic materials, plastic materials, ductile materials, brittle materials; introduction to tensile test, compressive test, impact test, fatigue test, torsion test on metals; concept of stress, normal and shear stresses; concept of strain and deformation, longitudinal and transverse strain, Poisson's ratio, volumetric strain, Hooke's law, modulii of elasticity and rigidity, bulk modulus of elasticity, relationship between the elastic constants; stresses and strains in bars subjected to tension and compression; extension of uniform bar under its own weight, stress produced in compound and tapering bars due to axial load; stress-strain diagram for mild steel and HYSD steel, proof stress, mechanical properties, factor of safety; temperature stresses and strains.
Stress and strain — how materials stretch, compress and fail, Hooke's law, the elastic constants, and the stress–strain diagram for mild steel.
Unit 2 — Moment of Inertia (6 Periods, 20%)
Concept of moment of inertia and second moment of area and radius of gyration, theorems of parallel and perpendicular axis, second moment of area of common geometrical sections: rectangle, triangle, circle (without derivations); second moment of area for L, T and I sections, section modulus.
Moment of inertia — the second moment of area for rectangles, triangles, circles and L, T and I sections, and the section modulus.
Unit 3 — Shear Force and Bending Moment (6 Periods, 20%)
Concept of a beam and supports (hinges, roller and fixed), types of beams: simply supported, cantilever, propped, overhang, fixed and continuous beams (only concept); types of loads (dead load, live load, snow load, wind load, seismic load as per IS Codes etc.) and types of loading (point, uniformly distributed and uniformly varying loads); concept of bending moment and shear force, sign conventions, bending moment and shear force diagrams for cantilever, simply supported and overhanging beams subjected to concentrated, uniformly distributed and varying loads; relationship between load, shear force and bending moment, point of maximum bending moment, and point of contraflexure; fixed and continuous beams — simple numerical problems.
Shear force and bending moment — the diagrams for cantilever, simply supported and overhanging beams, and the point of contraflexure.
Unit 4 — Bending and Shear Stresses in Beams (6 Periods, 20%)
Bending stresses in beams, concept of pure/simple bending, assumptions made in the theory of simple bending, derivation and application of bending equation to circular cross-section, I section, T and L sections only, moment of resistance, calculations of bending stresses; shear stresses in beams, concept of shear stresses in beams, shear stress distribution in rectangular, circular, I, T, L sections for beams.
Bending and shear stresses in beams — the bending equation applied to circular, I, T and L sections, and how shear stress is distributed.
Unit 5 — Columns (4 Periods, 20%)
Theory of columns — long and short columns, slenderness ratio, problem solving using Euler's and Rankine formula.
Columns — long and short columns, slenderness ratio, and buckling loads from Euler's and Rankine's formulas.
Practical Work
- Study and understand the use and components of Universal Testing Machine (UTM).
- Perform tension test on mild steel as per IS:432(1) and compute value of Young's modulus.
- Perform tension test on Tor steel as per IS:1608, IS:1139.
- Conduct compression test on sample test piece using Compression Testing Machine.
- Conduct Izod Impact test on three metals, e.g. mild steel / brass / aluminum / copper / cast iron etc. as per IS:1598.
- Conduct Charpy Impact test on three metals, e.g. mild steel / brass / aluminum / copper / cast iron etc. as per IS:1757.
And more — the complete list of 9 practicals is inside the PDF.
Complete Syllabus
The full examination scheme, the complete practicals list and the reference books from the official syllabus. The unit-wise topics are in the “What You Will Study” section above.
Examination Scheme
| Code | Paper | Type | L – P | Credits | Internal | External | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4 | Mechanics of Material | Theory | 2 – 0 | 2 | Theory 40 | Theory 60 (3 hrs) | 100 |
| 3.5 | Mechanics of Material Lab. | Practical | 0 – 2 | 1 | Practical 60 | Practical 40 (3 hrs) | 100 |
| Mechanics of Material Total | 3 | 100 | 100 | 200 | |||
Units at a Glance
| Unit | Topic | Periods | Marks Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simple Stresses and Strains | 6 | 20% |
| 2 | Moment of Inertia | 6 | 20% |
| 3 | Shear Force and Bending Moment | 6 | 20% |
| 4 | Bending and Shear Stresses in Beams | 6 | 20% |
| 5 | Columns | 4 | 20% |
Complete Practicals List
This is the complete list of practicals from the official syllabus.
- Study and understand the use and components of Universal Testing Machine (UTM).
- Perform tension test on mild steel as per IS:432(1) and compute value of Young's modulus.
- Perform tension test on Tor steel as per IS:1608, IS:1139.
- Conduct compression test on sample test piece using Compression Testing Machine.
- Conduct Izod Impact test on three metals, e.g. mild steel / brass / aluminum / copper / cast iron etc. as per IS:1598.
- Conduct Charpy Impact test on three metals, e.g. mild steel / brass / aluminum / copper / cast iron etc. as per IS:1757.
- Plot shear force and bending moment diagrams for cantilever, simply supported beams.
- Plot shear force and bending moment diagrams for overhanging beams for different types of loads including moment loading.
- Conduct flexural test on timber beam on rectangular section in both orientation as per IS:1708, IS:2408.
Reference Books
As listed in the syllabus:
- Bedi D.S., Strength of Materials, Khanna Publishing House, Delhi, Ed. 2018.
- Timoshenko, S., Strength of Materials, Vol. I, CBS, New Delhi.
- Khurmi, R.S., Strength of Materials, S Chand and Co. Ltd., New Delhi.
- Ramamurtham, S, Strength of Materials, Dhanpat Rai and sons, New Delhi.
- Punmia B C, Strength of Materials, Laxmi Publications (p) Ltd., New Delhi.
- Rattan S.S., Strength of Materials, McGraw Hill Education, New Delhi.
- Bansal R K, Strength of Materials, Laxmi Publications.
- Subramaniam R, Strength of Materials, Oxford University Press.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many marks is Mechanics of Material worth in the 3rd semester?
200 marks in total and 3 credits. Mechanics of Material: 100 marks (internal Theory 40, external Theory 60 (3 hrs)); Mechanics of Material Lab.: 100 marks (internal Practical 60, external Practical 40 (3 hrs)).
Which units carry the most weightage in Mechanics of Material?
Every unit carries the same weightage — 20% each — so none of them can be skipped.
What practical work is there in Mechanics of Material?
9 experiments, including Study and understand the use and components of Universal Testing Machine (UTM).; Perform tension test on mild steel as per IS:432(1) and compute value of Young's modulus.; Perform tension test on Tor steel as per IS:1608, IS:1139.. The complete list is in the Complete Syllabus section above.
Which books should I refer to for Mechanics of Material?
The syllabus lists 8 books, including Bedi D.S., Strength of Materials, Khanna Publishing House, Delhi, Ed. 2018. and Timoshenko, S., Strength of Materials, Vol. I, CBS, New Delhi., among others. The full list is in the Complete Syllabus section above.
Is Mechanics of Material a theory subject or a practical subject?
Both: Mechanics of Material is theory (L–P 2 – 0); Mechanics of Material Lab. is practical (L–P 0 – 2).
How can I download the Mechanics of Material syllabus PDF?
The PDF is free to download — use the download link in the Download section below. It is prepared by KAMALDNP Academy from the official BTEUP syllabus.
Related Syllabus Posts
- BTEUP Civil 3rd Semester Syllabus 2026-27
- BTEUP Civil Engineering Complete Syllabus 2026-27 — All Years, All Semesters
- Construction Materials — BTEUP Civil 3rd Semester Syllabus 2026-27
- Basic Surveying — BTEUP Civil 3rd Semester Syllabus 2026-27
- Building Construction — BTEUP Civil 3rd Semester Syllabus 2026-27
- Building Planning and Drawings — BTEUP Civil 3rd Semester Syllabus 2026-27
Download the Mechanics of Material Syllabus PDF
Download the complete Mechanics of Material syllabus PDF below — prepared by KAMALDNP Academy, with the full topic list, practicals and reference books.
Download the Mechanics of Material Syllabus PDF
Source: BTEUP 2nd Year curriculum (IIMT mirror of the official curriculum), approved in C.D.C. meeting held on 16.07.2026. Topic lists follow the official syllabus; short explanations are the author's own plain-English summaries, not syllabus text. Please confirm with your own polytechnic for any local changes.
Comments (0)
Share your question or experience about this syllabus. Your comment will appear after review.
No comments yet — be the first to share your thoughts!