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Dennis J. VandenBrink, Ph.D., P.E. |
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Introduction |
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I have created this site as a place where students and visitors can access the syllabi for the courses I teach at Western Michigan University as well as my notes for ME 2570: Mechanics of Materials. I have also included a link to a series of programs that I have developed for Statics & Mechanics of Materials. If you are a golfer, you might enjoy the link to a couple of programs that I have written for myself and friends. Feel free to download any of the materials for your personal use. Also, feel free to contact me with comments or suggestions about the materials. I would enjoy hearing from you. Especially if you are using any of the programs included here or have suggestions for how any of them might be improved. |
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To Contact Me: By E-mail: dennis.vandenbrink@wmich.edu By Phone: (269) 276-3440 |
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Course Syllabi |
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A link is provided at right to the syllabus for each of the courses that I am currently teaching. Each syllabi contains the required text, my office hours, how your grade is determined and, my homework and attendance policy, and a schedule with sections of the text covered and homework for each lecture. I have provided the information in pdf format. |
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ME 2570 Course Notes |
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A link is provided at right to the course notes for each version of ME 2570 that I teach. I have provided the information in pdf format. If you print out these notes and bring them with you to class, you will have the basics of each of my lectures and your notetaking will be minimized. I hope to offer some example problems for each lecture in the future, but that is for later. |
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Statics & Mechanics Programs |
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A link is provided at right to a few programs that I have developed for Statics and Mechanics of Materials. They are pretty easy to run with the help provided within the program. I hope to add more programs and user guides in the future. The first program is for the calculation of the centroid and area moments of inertia for a composite area. The area moments of inertia are determined for the original coordinate system, the parallel coordinate system that has its origin at the centroid, and the principal coordinate system for the area. The second program determines the reactions and draws the shear and bending moment diagrams for a statically determinant beam. The program includes concentrated loads, concentrated moments, and up to linearly varying distributed loads. The third program analyzes a simple truss. It will determine member forces and stresses as well as joint displacements. This program stores files for each truss analyzed for future reference. I am interested in improving these programs and adding to the collection of programs. If you have any suggestions for an improvement or a new program, please contact me with your ideas. |
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Golf Programs |
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A link is provided at right to each of the programs that I have developed related to golf. Again, I hope that they are self explanatory, but I hope to add user guides in the future. The first program is for the calculation of the handicap index and course handicap. It is a great program if you want to keep track of your handicap or if you are managing a handicap league or a group of golfers that play regularly together and want accurate handicaps for any games they might play. You can enter the name of multiple golfers. You enter a score, course rating and course slope for each round you play. The program uses the official method of calculating the handicap index for each golfer in the program. If you are going to play at any course that has a rating and slope, you can also use the program to calculate each golfers handicap for the course to be played. The second program is for the calculation of all types of statistics. This is a great program for analyzing your game or keeping statistics for a group of golfers that play regularly together. You can enter the name of multiple golfers, golf courses and dates played, golf course data including hole par, hole yardage, hole handicap, and course rating and slope. Then you enter the information for the golfers that played that day including score, number of putts, whether or not they hit the fairway, the number of sand shots hit, and the number of penalty strokes for each hole. The program will calculate all kinds of statistics for each course and an average of each statistic for all courses played that will allow you to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your game. Handicap index is also one of the statistics included. I am interested in improving these programs and adding to the collection of programs. If you have any suggestions for an improvement or a new program, please contact me with your ideas. |
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Who Am I? |
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I am an Associate Professor at Western Michigan University in the Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering Department. I have been at WMU for over 25 years and I have taught courses in Statics, Dynamics and Mechanics of Materials for more than 30 years. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. I have a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). I am a registered professional engineer in the state of Michigan. I also have an Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis in finance from Western Michigan University. I like designing and writing computer programs that people have an interest in actually using. I am also an avid golfer (notice that I did not say a great golfer). I love to play golf and have a current handicap index of about 13. |
