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Subfield · Engineering

Mechanics of Materials research

Mechanics of Materials is a subfield of Engineering. Science Explorer counts 981k research works in it since 1950. 16.0% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: behavior of solid objects subject to stresses and strains.

Research works
981k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
157k
per year above
Top-10% rate
16.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
29
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+16%
the tick is no change

What is Mechanics of Materials research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Mechanical Properties, Fracture, Rock Mechanics, Nanocomposites, Pore Structure, Shale Gas. Gaining share since 2009–13: Corrosion, Steel, Acoustic Emission, Numerical Modelling, Geomechanical Processes. Losing share: Mechanical Behavior, Dynamic Recrystallization, Hot Deformation, Rock Mechanics.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Mechanical Properties33k◆ 0.95×5 topics
  2. Fracture25k▲ 1.58×3 topics
  3. Rock Mechanics25k▼ 0.74×4 topics
  4. Nanocomposites24k◆ 1.04×3 topics
  5. Pore Structure20k▲ 1.27×1 topic
  6. Shale Gas20k▲ 1.27×1 topic
  7. Wave Propagation18k▲ 1.28×2 topics
  8. Nanoindentation16k◆ 0.91×1 topic
  9. Thin Films16k◆ 0.91×1 topic
  10. Non-Destructive Testing14k◆ 1.11×2 topics
  11. Acoustic Emission13k▲ 2.4×1 topic
  12. Numerical Modelling13k▲ 2.4×1 topic
  13. Mechanical Behavior11k▼ 0.46×2 topics
  14. Vibration Analysis11k◆ 1.01×2 topics
  15. Composite Materials11k◆ 1.15×3 topics
  16. Dynamic Recrystallization10k▼ 0.60×1 topic
  17. Hot Deformation10k▼ 0.60×1 topic
  18. Cohesive Zone Models9,326▲ 1.34×1 topic
  19. Delamination9,326▲ 1.34×1 topic
  20. Extended Finite Element Method9,253◆ 1.13×1 topic
  21. Meshless Methods9,253◆ 1.13×1 topic
  22. Guided Lamb Waves9,176◆ 1.01×1 topic
  23. Piezoelectric Impedance-Based Health Monitoring9,176◆ 1.01×1 topic
  24. Corrosion9,155▲ 2.8×1 topic
  25. Steel9,155▲ 2.8×1 topic
  26. Finite Element Method8,950▼ 0.77×2 topics
  27. Geomechanical Processes8,371▲ 1.82×1 topic
  28. Seismicity8,371▲ 1.82×1 topic
  29. Composite Plates8,316▲ 1.30×1 topic
  30. Functionally Graded Materials8,316▲ 1.30×1 topic
  31. Fatigue Crack Closure8,152◆ 0.92×1 topic
  32. Fracture Toughness Testing8,152◆ 0.92×1 topic
  33. Polymer Tribology7,695▲ 1.38×1 topic
  34. Wear Behavior7,695▲ 1.38×1 topic
  35. Spectroscopy7,212▼ 0.85×2 topics
  36. Adhesion6,474◆ 0.91×1 topic
  37. Gecko6,474◆ 0.91×1 topic
  38. Material Modeling6,403▼ 0.78×2 topics
  39. Finite Element Simulation6,120◆ 0.97×1 topic
  40. Fretting Wear6,120◆ 0.97×1 topic

Which countries lead Mechanics of Materials research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and India rank highest in Mechanics of Materials. By volume, China and the United States publish the most (59k and 12k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #2 all time 18.6% top 10% · 59k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 11.6% top 10% · 12k works
  3. 3 India · #9 all time 12.7% top 10% · 9k works
  4. 4 United Kingdom · #3 all time 15.8% top 10% · 3.3k works
  5. 5 Germany · #4 all time 11.5% top 10% · 4.9k works
  6. 6 Australia · #10 all time 21.4% top 10% · 1.6k works
  7. 7 France · #5 all time 10.6% top 10% · 3.8k works
  8. 8 Iran · #11 all time 16.2% top 10% · 2.9k works
  9. 9 Italy · #7 all time 15.6% top 10% · 2.8k works
  10. 10 Canada · #8 all time 14.8% top 10% · 2.2k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 64 countries ranked in Mechanics of Materials. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Mechanics of Materials

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 59k works
  2. 2 United States 12k works
  3. 3 Russia 9.9k works
  4. 4 India 9k works
  5. 5 Germany 4.9k works
  6. 6 Japan 4.4k works
  7. 7 France 3.8k works
  8. 8 United Kingdom 3.3k works
  9. 9 Iran 2.9k works
  10. 10 Italy 2.8k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 52.7%United States: 10.9%Russia: 8.8%India: 8.0%6 others listed: 19.6%53%largest
China59k · 52.7%United States12k · 10.9%Russia9,883 · 8.8%India9,002 · 8.0%6 others listed22k · 19.6%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Mechanics of Materials research?

China University of Mining and Technology (China) ranks first in Mechanics of Materials on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Central South University and Northwestern Polytechnical University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China University of Mining and Technology China · Xuzhou · #1 all time 24.2% top 10% · 1.8k works
  2. 2 Central South University China · Changsha · #8 all time 28.9% top 10% · 915 works
  3. 3 Northwestern Polytechnical University China · Xi'an · #12 all time 26.2% top 10% · 869 works
  4. 4 Chongqing University China · Chongqing · #28 all time 26.0% top 10% · 753 works
  5. 5 Harbin Institute of Technology China · Harbin · #21 all time 21.8% top 10% · 827 works
  6. 6 Northeastern University China · Shenyang · #59 all time 25.0% top 10% · 656 works
  7. 7 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #16 all time 24.6% top 10% · 664 works
  8. 8 Dalian University of Technology China · Dalian · #33 all time 20.8% top 10% · 748 works
  9. 9 Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #14 all time 22.0% top 10% · 796 works
  10. 10 Beijing Institute of Technology China · Beijing · #46 all time 21.4% top 10% · 724 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 458 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Mechanics of Materials.

Top 100 Mechanics of Materials institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China University of Mining and Technology China 1.8k works
  2. 2 Central South University China 915 works
  3. 3 Northwestern Polytechnical University China 869 works
  4. 4 Harbin Institute of Technology China 827 works
  5. 5 China University of Petroleum, Beijing China 807 works
  6. 6 Chinese Academy of Sciences China 796 works
  7. 7 University of Science and Technology Beijing China 761 works
  8. 8 Chongqing University China 753 works
  9. 9 Dalian University of Technology China 748 works
  10. 10 Xi'an Jiaotong University China 741 works

Who are the leading researchers in Mechanics of Materials?

Among the most productive authors in Mechanics of Materials, Ted Belytschko, Thomas J.R. Hughes and Sia Nemat‐Nasser rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Ted Belytschko United States · #315 worldwide 4.1k citations · 139 works
  2. 2 Thomas J.R. Hughes United States · #636 worldwide 3.7k citations · 163 works
  3. 3 Sia Nemat‐Nasser United States · #954 worldwide 2.7k citations · 106 works
  4. 4 Ivo Babuška United States · #975 worldwide 2.7k citations · 110 works
  5. 5 Marc A. Meyers United States · #1,008 worldwide 3.2k citations · 128 works
  6. 6 John W. Hutchinson United States · #1,071 worldwide 3.2k citations · 110 works
  7. 7 Ole Sigmund Denmark · #1,557 worldwide 2.9k citations · 137 works
  8. 8 A.G. Evans United States · #1,647 worldwide 3.2k citations · 161 works
  9. 9 G. C. Sih United States · #2,688 worldwide 2k citations · 82 works
  10. 10 A. Needleman United States · #2,886 worldwide 2.2k citations · 104 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,803 highest-output authors in Mechanics of Materials. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Mechanics of Materials researchers

Where is Mechanics of Materials research done?

The largest centres of Mechanics of Materials research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Xi'an (China), Moscow (Russia) and Shanghai (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Yangjiaping, Daqing and Jincheng.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 12k works
  2. 2 Xi'an China 3.7k works
  3. 3 Moscow Russia 3.4k works
  4. 4 Shanghai China 3k works
  5. 5 Nanjing China 2.9k works
  6. 6 Chengdu China 2.7k works
  7. 7 Wuhan China 2.6k works
  8. 8 Xuzhou China 1.8k works
  9. 9 Qingdao China 1.7k works
  10. 10 Changsha China 1.6k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. YangjiapingCN · 22.3 works24×
  2. Daqing25.4 works23×
  3. JinchengCN · 34.8 works21×
  4. PanjingCN · 26.9 works20×
  5. XinjiangCN · 50.0 works19×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Mechanics of Materials than the world average.

See Mechanics of Materials on the map

Mechanics of Materials research by country

The best places for Mechanics of Materials research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Mechanics of Materials?

Among universities, judged by research, China University of Mining and Technology, China University of Petroleum, East China and China University of Petroleum, Beijing score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%30%mean 21.05%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →China University of Mining and Technology: 1,762, 24.2%China University of Petroleum, East China: 660, 17.2%China University of Petroleum, Beijing: 807, 16.6%Xi'an University of Science and Technology: 376, 22.2%Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad: 213, 17.2%Le Quy Don Technical University: 69, 21.3%Southwest Petroleum University: 476, 14.7%Southwest Jiaotong University: 696, 24.9%Northwestern Polytechnical University: 869, 26.2%Chongqing University: 753, 26.0%China University of …Xi'an University of …China University of …China University of …
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1China University of Mining and Technology China 69.624.2%15.2×1,762 -7.7%
2China University of Petroleum, East China China 61.717.2%9.5×660 +82.2%
3China University of Petroleum, Beijing China 57.916.6%14.1×807 -15.5%
4Xi'an University of Science and Technology China 56.322.2%11.2×376 -37.3%
5Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad India 55.617.2%7.1×213 +290.6%
6Le Quy Don Technical University Vietnam 55.521.3%8.1×69 +449.4%
7Southwest Petroleum University China 54.514.7%10.1×476 +14.6%
8Southwest Jiaotong University China 54.324.9%6.2×696 -14.0%
9Northwestern Polytechnical University China 54.226.2%5.2×869 -18.4%
10Chongqing University China 53.626.0%4.7×753 +7.4%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Mechanics of Materials research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 16% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2024. The fastest-growing topics are Engineering Diagnostics and Reliability, Rock Mechanics and Modeling and Geotechnical and Geomechanical Engineering.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Engineering Diagnostics and Reliability+215%
  2. Rock Mechanics and Modeling+177%
  3. Geotechnical and Geomechanical Engineering+116%
  4. Cavitation Phenomena in Pumps+111%
  5. Tribology and Wear Analysis+81%
  6. Thermography and Photoacoustic Techniques+79%
  7. Metallurgy and Material Forming-2%
  8. Muon and positron interactions and applications-3%
  9. Material Properties and Processing-12%
  10. Geomechanics and Mining Engineering-80%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Mechanics of Materials include?

Metal and Thin Film Mech…93kMetal and Thin Film Mechanics: 93k fractional worksHydrocarbon exploration …82kHydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis: 82k fractional worksMetallurgy and Material Forming: 66k fractional worksUltrasonics and Acoustic Wave Propagation: 54k fractional worksFatigue and fracture mec…50kFatigue and fracture mechanics: 50k fractional worksNumerical methods in engineering: 47k fractional worksMechanical Behavior of Composites: 46k fractional worksLaser-induced spectroscopy and plasma: 43k fractional worksComposite Structure Analysis and Optimization: 43k fractional worksRock Mechanics and Modeling: 42k fractional worksAdhesion, Friction, and Surface Interactions: 38k fractional worksGeomechanics and Mining Engineering: 35k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.