The subject of this book is model abstraction of dynamical systems. The p- mary goal of the work embodied in this book is to design a controller for the mobile robotic car using abstraction. Abstraction provides a means to rep- sent the dynamics of a system using a simpler model while retaining important characteristics of the original system. A second goal of this work is to study the propagation of uncertain initial conditions in the framework of abstraction. The summation of this work is presented in this book. It includes the following: * An overview of the history and current research in mobile robotic control design. * A mathematical review that provides the tools used in this research area. * The development of the robotic car model and both controllers used in the new control design. * A review of abstraction and an extension of these ideas into new system relationship characterizations called traceability and -traceability. * A framework for designing controllers based on abstraction. * An open-loop control design with simulation results. * An investigation of system abstraction with uncertain initial conditions.

When you listen to music at home, you would like to have an acoustic impression close to being in the concert hall. This is achieved by an advanced two-loudspeaker technique and electronic handling of the signals. The way to head-related sound reproduction and reception to get the original impression is explained in this comprehensive book on the outer influence of hearing and how to achieve perfect stereo effects. The book also introduces a theory of drift thresholds.

Whole Body Vibrations: Physical and Biological Effects on the Human Body allows an understanding about the qualities and disadvantages of vibration exposure on the human body with a biomechanical and medical perspective. It offers a comprehensive range of principles, methods, techniques and tools to provide the reader with a clear knowledge of the impact of vibration on human tissues and physiological processes. The text considers physical, mechanical and biomechanical aspects and it is illustrated by key application domains such as sports and medicine. Consisting of 11 chapters in total, the first three chapters provide useful tools for measuring, generating, simulating and processing vibration signals. The following seven chapters are applications in different fields of expertise, from performance to health, with localized or global effects. Since unfortunately there are undesirable effects from the exposure to mechanical vibrations, a final chapter is dedicated to this issue. Engineers, researchers and students from biomedical engineering and health sciences, as well as industrial professionals can profit from this compendium of knowledge about mechanical vibration applied to the human body. Provides biomechanical and medical perspectives to understanding the qualities and disadvantages of vibration exposure on the human body Offers a range of principles, methods, techniques, and tools to evaluate the impact of vibration on human tissues and physiological processes Explores mechanical vibration techniques used to improve human performance Discusses the strong association between health and human well-being Explores physical, mechanical, and biomechanical aspects of vibration exposure in domains such as sports and medicine

Thisvolume contains thecollection of papers from the second workshop on Expe- mental Acoustic Inversion Techniques for Exploration of theShallow Water Environment. Theworkshopthemefollowedtheoriginalconceptofthe rstworkshop, heldinCarvoeiro, Portugal, in 1999, i.e., to focus on experiments and experimental techniques for acoustic sensing in the shallow ocean. More than forty leading international scientists were invited to meet in the picturesque town of St. Angelo on the island of Ischia, in June 2004, to discuss progress in the application of new experimental techniques for exploration and assessment of shallowwater environments. Acoustic techniques provide the most effective means for remote sensing of ocean and sea oor processes, and for probing the structure beneath the sea oor. No other energy propagates as ef ciently in the ocean: radio waves and visible light are severely limited in range because the ocean is a highly conductive medium. However, sound from bre- ing waves and coastal shipping can be heard throughout the ocean, and marine mammals communicate acoustically over basin scale distances.

Recent increasing awareness of the ways in which vibrational effects can affect low-gravity experiments have renewed interest in the study of thermal vibrational convection across a wide range of fields. For example, in applications where vibrational effects are used to provide active control of heat and mass transfer, such as in heat exchangers, stirrers, mineral separators and crystal growth, a sound understanding of the fundamental theory is required. In Thermal Vibrational Convection, the authors present the theory of vibrational effects caused by a static gravity field, and of fluid flows which appear under vibration in fluid-filled cavities. The first part of the book discusses fluid-filled cavities where the fluid motion only appears in the presence of temperature non-uniformities, while the second considers those situations where the vibrational effects are caused by a non-uniform field. Throughout, the authors concentrate on consideration of high frequency vibrations, where averaging methods can be successfully applied in the study of the phenomena. Written by two of the pioneers in this field, Thermal Vibrational Convection will be of great interest to scientists and engineers working in the many areas that are concerned with vibration, and its effect on heat and mass transfer. These include hydrodynamics, hydro-mechanics, low gravity physics and mechanics, and geophysics. The rigorous approach adopted in presenting the theory of this fascinating and highly topical area will facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomena involved, and will lead to the development of more and better-designed experiments.

This book contains an edited versIOn of lectures presented at the NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE on VIRTUAL NONLINEAR MUL TIBODY SYSTEMS which was held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 23 June to 3 July 2002. It was organized by the Department of Mechanics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, in cooperation with the Institute B of Mechanics, University of Stuttgart, Germany. The ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE addressed the state of the art in multibody dynamics placing special emphasis on nonlinear systems, virtual reality, and control design as required in mechatronics and its corresponding applications. Eighty-six participants from twenty-two countries representing academia, industry, government and research institutions attended the meeting. The high qualification of the participants contributed greatly to the success of the ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE in that it promoted the exchange of experience between leading scientists and young scholars, and encouraged discussions to generate new ideas and to define directions of research and future developments. The full program of the ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE included also contributed presentations made by participants where different topics were explored, among them: Such topics include: nonholonomic systems; flexible multibody systems; contact, impact and collision; numerical methods of differential-algebraical equations; simulation approaches; virtual modelling; mechatronic design; control; biomechanics; space structures and vehicle dynamics. These presentations have been reviewed and a selection will be published in this volume, and in special issues of the journals Multibody System Dynamics and Mechanics of Structures and Machines.

Structural vibrations have become the critical factor limiting the performance of many engineering systems, typical amplitudes ranging from meters to a few nanometers. Many acoustic nuisances in transportation systems and residential and office buildings are also related to structural vibrations. The active control of such vibrations involves nine orders of magnitude of vibration amplitude, which exerts a profound influence on the technology. Active vibration control is highly multidisciplinary, involving structural vibration, acoustics, signal processing, materials science, and actuator and sensor technology.

Chapters 1-3 of this book provide a state-of-the-art introduction to active vibration control, active sound control, and active vibroacoustic control, respectively. Chapter 4 discusses actuator/sensor placement, Chapter 5 deals with robust control of vibrating structures, Chapter 6 discusses finite element modelling of piezoelectric continua and Chapter 7 addresses the latest trends in piezoelectric multiple-degree-of-freedom actuators/sensors. Chapters 8-12 deal with example applications, including semi-active joints, active isolation and health monitoring. Chapter 13 addresses MEMS technology, while Chapter 14 discusses the design of power amplifiers for piezoelectric actuators.

The Fifth Edition of this classic work retains the most useful portions of Timoshenko's book on vibration theory and introduces powerful, modern computational techniques. The normal mode method is emphasized for linear multi-degree and infinite-degree-of-freedom systems and numerical methods dominate the approach to nonlinear systems. A new chapter on the finite-element method serves to show how any continuous system can be discretized for the purpose of simplifying the analysis. Includes revised problems, examples of applications and computer programs.

This monograph summarizes the recent achievements made in the field of iterative learning control. The book is self-contained in theoretical analysis and can be used as a reference or textbook for a graduate level course as well as for self-study. It opens a new avenue towards a new paradigm in deterministic learning control theory accompanied by detailed examples.

The aim of the present book is to present theoretical nonlinear aco- tics with equal stress on physical and mathematical foundations. We have attempted explicit and detailed accounting for the physical p- nomena treated in the book, as well as their modelling, and the f- mulation and solution of the mathematical models. The nonlinear acoustic phenomena described in the book are chosen to give phy- cally interesting illustrations of the mathematical theory. As active researchers in the mathematical theory of nonlinear acoustics we have found that there is a need for a coherent account of this theory from a unified point of view, covering both the phenomena studied and mathematical techniques developed in the last few decades. The most ambitious existing book on the subject of theoretical nonlinear acoustics is "Theoretical Foundations of Nonlinear Aco- tics" by O. V. Rudenko and S. I. Soluyan (Plenum, New York, 1977). This book contains a variety of applications mainly described by Bu- ers' equation or its generalizations. Still adhering to the subject - scribed in the title of the book of Rudenko and Soluyan, we attempt to include applications and techniques developed after the appearance of, or not included in, this book. Examples of such applications are resonators, shockwaves from supersonic projectiles and travelling of multifrequency waves. Examples of such techniques are derivation of exact solutions of Burgers' equation, travelling wave solutions of Bu- ers' equation in non-planar geometries and analytical techniques for the nonlinear acoustic beam (KZK) equation.

This book contains a selection of the papers presented at the 3rd NCN Workshop which was focused on "Dynamics, Bifurcations and Control". The peer-reviewed papers describe a number of ways how dynamical systems techniques can be applied for analysis and design problems in control with topics ranging from bifurcation control via stability and stabilizaton to the global dynamical behaviour of control systems. The book gives an overview of the current status of the field.

Most of the existing strong motion instrumentation on civil engineering structures is installed and operated as federal, state, university, industry or private applications, in many cases operated as a closed system. This hampers co-operation and data exchange, hampering the acquisition of strong motion and structural data, sometimes even within a single country. There is a powerful need to inform engineers of existing strong motion data and to improve the accessibility of data worldwide. This book will play a role in fulfilling such a need by disseminating state-of-the art information, technology and developments in the strong motion instrumentation of civil engineering structures. The subject has direct implications for the earthquake response of structures, improvements in design for earthquake resistance, and hazard mitigation. Readership: Researchers in earthquake engineering, engineers designing earthquake resistant structures, and producers of strong motion recording equipment.

The control of vibrating systems is a significant issue in the design of aircraft, spacecraft, bridges, and high-rise buildings. This book discusses the control of vibrating systems, integrating structural dynamics, vibration analysis, modern control, and system identification. By integrating these subjects engineers will need only one book, rather than several texts or courses, to solve vibration control problems. The authors cover key developments in aerospace control and identification theory, including virtual passive control, observer and state-space identification, and data-based controller synthesis. They address many practical issues and applications, and show examples of how various methods are applied to real systems. Some methods show the close integration of system identification and control theory from the state-space perspective, rather than from the traditional input-output model perspective of adaptive control. This text will be useful for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineering, as well as for practicing engineers.

This book discusses statistical applications of wavelet theory for use in signal and image processing. The emphasis is on smoothing by wavelet thresholding and extended methods. Wavelet thresholding is an example of non-linear and non-parametric smoothing. The first part discusses theoretical and practical issues concerned with minimum risk thresholding and fast threshold estimation, using generalized cross validation. The extensions in later chapters consider possibilities to exploit three key properties of wavelets in statistics: sparsity, multiresolution, and locality. The author discusses original contributions to problems of correlated noise, scale dependent processing, Bayesian algorithms with geometrical priors (Markov random fields), non-equispaced data, and many other extensions. The point of view lies on the bridge between statistics, signal and image processing, and approximation theory, and the book is accessible for researchers from all of these fields. Most of the material has in mind applications in signal or image processing, and signals and images are used extensively in the illustrations. Nevertheless, the algorithms are quite general in the sense that they could also serve in other regression problems. The book also pays attention to fast algorithms, and Matlab code reproducing many of the illustrations is available for free. Maarten Jansen received a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, in 2000 and currently he is a postdoctoral fellow with the Belgian Foundation for Scientific Research (FWO). He has been a visiting researcher at several institutes, including Stanford University, Bristol University, and Rice University.

Modal analysis is one of the most powerful tools available to the engineer for the dynamic analysis of structures. Development has been rapid and spans the identification and evaluation of vibration phenomena, the validation, correction and updating of analytical models and the assessment of structural integrity. The texts assembled here form a coheren t work. After a first chapter on the fundamentals of modal analysis, the reader is introduced to signal processing and the basic rules of exchange and analysis of dynamic information. The derivation of theoretical models for modal analysis is then addressed, followed by three chapters on the different approaches to the derivation of models based in the identification of experimental data: time domain, frequency domain and pseudo-testing. This leads to the discussion of updating analytical models and to model quality assessment techniques. Further topics treated include damage detection and evaluation, structural modification, damping modelling, and the normalisation of complex modes. Less well-known topics are also included: active control of structures, acoustic modal analysis and neural networks for modal analysis, advanced optimization methods of model updating, modal analysis for rotating machinery, and nonlinearity in modal analysis.

This book contains most, but regrettably not all, the papers that were presented at the Advanced Research Study Institute, ASI, held at the Fantasia Hotel, Kusadasi, Turkey, July 26 - August 8, 1998. A powerful incentive to the development of vortex physics in superconductors, that has began with Abrikosov Vortices in Shubnikov's Mixed State, was realized after the discovery of the high-Tc superconductivity. Indeed, a number of the most intriguing phenomena and states of the flux line lattice are observed in high-Tc superconducting materials due to their high anisotropy, intrinsically layered crys- tal structure, extremely small coherence length and the possibility of coexistence of superconducting vortex states with high-energy thermal fluctuation. These pe- culiarities are demonstrated as the 2D flux line lattice of point-vortices (pan- cakes), Josephson vortices or strings in parallel and/or tilted magnetic fields, flux line lattice melting into vortex liquid and its freezing into vortex "solid" (e. g. , crystal-or glass-like) state. It is well known, that the main reason for conditioning of the vortex ensemble state and behavior (except the extrinsic factors, such as applied magnetic field or temperature) is a set of intrinsic/extrinsic superconduct- ing material properties caused by the crystal nature and symmetry, atoms ar- rangement, anisotropy, as well as by the spectrum of crystal defects, their dimen- sions, arrangement and density.

Geodynamics concerns the dynamics of the earth's global motion, of the earth's interior motion and its interaction with surface features, together with the mechanical processes in the deformation and rupture of geological structures. Its final object is to determine the driving mechanism of these motions. It is highly interdisciplinary. In providing the basic geological, geophysical infromation required for a comprehensive mechanical analysis, there are also many mechanical problems involved, which means the problem is coupled intricately with geophysics, rock mechanics, seismology, structural geology, etc. This is Part II of the Proceedings of an IUTAM/IASPEI Symposium on Mechanics Problems in Geodynamics held in Beijing, September 1994. It discusses different aspects of mechanics problems in geodynamics involving the earth's rotation, tectonic analyses of various parts of the world, mineral physics and flow in the mantle, seismic source studies and wave propagation and application of the DDA method in tectonic analysis.

This supplement of Mikrochimica Acta contains selected papers from the Fourth Workshop of the European Microanalysis Society (EMAS) on "Modern Develop- ments and Applications in Microbeam Analysis" which took place in May 1995 in Saint Malo (France). EMAS was founded in 1986 by members from almost all european countries in order to stimulate research, applications and development of all forms of microbeam methods. One important EMAS activity is the organisation of biennial workshops for demonstrating the current status and developing trends of microanalytical techniques. For this meeting, EMAS chose to highlight the following topics: Monte-Carlo simula- tions, transport calculations and use of soft X-rays for electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), detection of small quan- tities using different techniques: synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence, particle in- duced X-ray emission (PIXE), cathodoluminescence microscopy (CL). Two new kinds of instrumental techniques were also presented: atomic probe and scanning probe microscopy (STM). The aim of the conference is to give introductory lectures corresponding to the topics of the meeting and to have contributions in the form of po- ster sessions. More than 80 posters were presented. Most of them gave a short oral pre- sentation. The poster subjects were related to the use of microanalytical techniques: EPMA with wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS) and energy dispersive spec- trometry (EDS), Auger electron spectrometry (AES), secondary ion mass spectro- metry (SIMS), scanning electron microscopy and other topographical methods like scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) or atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Our topic is irreversible or plastic deformation of structural elements composed of relatively thin ductile materials. These deformations are commonly used in sheet metal forming operations to produce lightweight parts of any particular shape. In another context, this type of plastic deformation is described as impact damage in the case of structural components involved in collision. Here we are concerned with mechanics of both static and dynamic deformation processes. The purpose is to use typical material properties and structural characteristics to calculate the deformation for certain types of load; in particular to find the final deflection and shape of the deformed structure and to illustrate how the development of this final shape depends on the constitutive model used to represent the material behavior. The major issue to be addressed is which structural and constitutive properties are important for calculating response to either static or brief but intense dynamic loads. Furthermore, how do the results of various constitutive models compare with observed behavior.

Introduces Systematic Formulations for Use in Acoustic Applications Acoustics in Moving Inhomogeneous Media, Second Edition offers a uniquely complete and rigorous study of sound propagation and scattering in moving media with deterministic and random inhomogeneities. This study is of great importance in many fields including atmospheric and oceanic acoustics, aeroacoustics, acoustics of turbulent flows, remote sensing of the atmosphere and ocean, noise pollution in the atmosphere, and wave propagation. Provides Sensible Explanations Using Step-by-Step Practice The book begins by considering sound propagation through moving media with deterministic inhomogeneities such as vertical profiles of temperature and wind velocity in the atmosphere. It moves on to a new study of sound propagation and scattering in media with random inhomogeneities in adiabatic sound speed, density, and medium velocity. Then this second edition newly sets out state-of-the-art numerical methods for calculating the sound field and its statistical characteristics in moving inhomogeneous media, which is particularly useful for those working in atmospheric acoustics and studying noise pollution. Numerical codes are provided on the book's website www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9780415564168 Covered in three parts, this second edition: Incorporates new results developed since the previous edition Rewrites and extends the text with formulations of sound propagation and scattering in random moving media Describes numerical methods for performing calculations involving equations from the first two parts Acoustics in Moving Inhomogeneous Media, Second Edition serves as the basis of a graduate course in atmospheric and oceanic acoustics or as a rigorous reference work

Handbook of Railway Vehicle Dynamics, Second Edition, provides expanded, fully updated coverage of railway vehicle dynamics. With chapters by international experts, this work surveys the main areas of rolling stock and locomotive dynamics. Through mathematical analysis and numerous practical examples, it builds a deep understanding of the wheel-rail interface, suspension and suspension component design, simulation and testing of electrical and mechanical systems, and interaction with the surrounding infrastructure, and noise and vibration. Topics added in the Second Edition include magnetic levitation, rail vehicle aerodynamics, and advances in traction and braking for full trains and individual vehicles.

Base isolation, passive energy dissipation and active control represent three innovative technologies for protection of structures under environmental loads. Increasingly, they are being applied to the design of new structures or to the retrofit of existing structures against wind, earthquakes and other external loads. This book, with contributions from leading researchers from Japan, Europe, and the United States, presents a balanced view of current research and world-wide development in this exciting and fast expanding field. Basic principles as well as practical design and implementational issues associated with the application of base isolation systems and passive and active control devices to civil engineering structures are carefully addressed. Examples of structural applications are presented and extensively discussed.

The chapters of this book were written by structural engineers. The approach, therefore, is not aiming toward a scientific modelling of the response but to the definition of engineering procedures for detecting and avoiding undesired phenomena. In this sense chaotic and stochastic behaviour can be tackled in a similar manner. This aspect is illustrated in Chapter 1. Chapters 2 and 3 are entirely devoted to Stochastic Dynamics and cover single-degree-of-freedom systems and impact problems, respectively. Chapter 4 provides details on the numerical tools necessary for evaluating the main indexes useful for the classification of the motion and for estimating the response probability density function. Chapter 5 gives an overview of random vibration methods for linear and nonlinear multi-degree-of-freedom systems. The randomness of the material characteristics and the relevant stochastic models ar considered in Chapter 6. Chapter 7, eventually, deals with large engineering sytems under stochastic excitation and allows for the stochastic nature of the mechanical and geometrical properties.

This volume reports the work carried out between 1987 and 1991 in the framework of the ESPRIT CIMEProject 1561 entitled A High Performance FMS Robot with On-Line Dynamic Compensation more often referred to by its French acronym SACODY, standing for Structure AlJegee a COmmande DYnamique. The volume is the outcome of a collaborative R&D project performed by a European team coordinated by Bertin & Cie (France) and involving AEG AG and KUKA Roboter GmbH (Germany), LMS International and K.U. Leuven (Belgium) as well as University College Dublin (Ireland). On behalf of this consortium, we would like to acknowledge the support of the Commission of the European Communities, without which the research and development reported hereafter would not have been possible. We would especially like to thank Mrs. Patricia Mac Connaill, Head of the ESPRIT ClME Division, Dr. Rainer Zimmermann, SACODY Project Officer, and the project reviewers Dr. Motta and Profs. Parker, Coiffet and Trostmann for the continuous interest they have shown for the project all along its life as well as for their precious advices.

Slender structures, such as towers, masis, high-rise buildings and bridges, are especially prone to wind excited vibrations. The lectures show how the susceptibility of a structure to wind excited vibrations can be assessed in early stages of design, and what measures are effective for control or avoidance of vibrations. The book will be a help for all dealing with dynamic response of structures.