The main specialisation of the department - Structural Mechanics - is the science, studying ways and methods of constructions strength, stiffness and stability analysis. Structural mechanics plays a very important role in the process of civil and hydrotechnical engineering students training at the St.Petersburg State Polytechnical University (former Polytechnical Institute) Civil Engineering Faculty. It is a link between common technical subjects such as mathematics, theoretical mechanics, material's strength and special subjects like foundations and basements, hydrotechnical, civil and industrial constructions.

The department doesn't have its own graduate students. Our teachers give the courses of structural mechanics, theory of elasticity, dynamics of structures and some other subjects of mechanical cycle. We also teach students CS. The department has post-graduate courses and doctoral courses.

High level of engineers in the sphere of stress analysis always was one of the priorities of specialists' training in St.Petersburg State Polytechnical University/Polytechnical Institute. In 1907, when new faculties were being opened in the institute, it was said: "Students of Civil Engineering Faculty should at first get a considerable grounding in architecture and structural mechanics and only then study a certain speciality".

The unic, world wide famous scientific school in mechanics was formed in St.Petersburg/Leningrad Polytechnical Institute in the XX century. Nowadays the staff of the Structural Mechanics and Theory of Elasticity Department tries to follow its traditions.

The history of the department is tackled with the activities of many outstanding scientists, first of all with academician Boris G. Galerkin, who worked at the department in 1909-1945. The names of Viktor L. Kirpichov, Stephen P. Timoshenko, Sergey S. Golushkevich and many other scientists, who worked at the department are also well known to the specialists in structural mechanics.

The scientific work plays a very important role in the life of the department. The staff of the depatment tries to follow the scientific traditions, layed by Boris G.Galerkin and other famous scientists, who worked here. For some last years the subjects of the research were related with different forms of statement and methods of solving theory of elasticity and elastoplasticity problems, analysis of structures on elastic foundation, solving physically non-linear problems of structural mechanics, structures with unilateral joints analysis, dynamical analysis of structures. The objects of the researches were concrete and soil dams, elements of high-head hydro-power plants units, self-lifting drilling platforms, sea-bed oil pipe-lines, wind-power plants and other constructions.

The leader of the scientific school of the Department now is Dr.Sc., Prof. Leonid A. Rozin - one of the world's most famous and authoritative specialists in solid body and fluid mechanics, author of some analitical solutions in fluid mechanics and new methods of solids analysis. Prof. Leonid A. Rozin's role in the development and popularization of Finite Elements Method, the main computational method of modern structural mechanics, in former USSR and Russia can't be overestimated. He is the author of the first Russian books on this method. Nowadays prof. Leonid A. Rozin continues his pedagogical and scientific activities, working with students and young scientists, holding researches in different fields of structural mechanics.

The students of Civil Engineering Faculty, Evening Courses in Technology, Economics and Managment Faculty and External Education Faculty take our courses. In 1960-s our department was the first in the USSR to start introducing numerical methods of solving structural mechanics problems into the educational process under the guidness of prof. Leonid A. Rozin. Nowdays computer technologies of structures' analysis hold the most important place in the department's academic plans. Excercises in different subjects are being held in the computing laboratory of the department.

The department has good ties with many organizations in Russia, working in the sphere of construction engineering, hydrotechnical and powerplants construction, machine-building and other spheres. Post-graduate students and research-officers of the department take part in scientific conferences and symposia, publish the results of their researches in scientific magazins.

The distinguishing feature of the department is a high level of education, answering the modern day demands. The staff of the department tries to support traditionally high level of education and researches. The success of the department's activities is guaranteed by a high qualfication, pedagocical and practical experience of its staff, including now 10 officers: 4 professors, 5 assistant professors and 1 junior member of the teaching staff. Many of them have supplementary mathematical education.

The head of the department is Dr. Sc., Prof. Vladimir V. Lalin.

	Saint-Petersburg State Polytechnical University
	STRUCTURAL MECHANICS AND THEORY OF ELASTICITY DEPARTMENT
	Russian version