On average, 60% of the world's people and cargo is transported by vehicle that move on rubber tires over roadways of various construction, composition, and quality. The number of such vehicles, including automobiles and all manner of trucks, increases continually with a growing positive impact on accessibility and a growing negative impact on interactions among humans and their relationship to the surrounding environment. This multiplicity of vehicles, through their physical impact and their emissions, is responsible for, among other negative results: waste of energy, pollution through emission of harmful compounds, degradation of road surfaces, crowding of roads leading to waste of time and increase of social stress, and decrease in safety and comfort. In particular, the safety of vehicular traffic depends on a man-vehicle-road system that includes both active and passive security controls. In spite of the drawbacks mentioned above, the governments of almost every country in the world not only expect but facilitate improvements in vehicular transport performance in order to increase such parameters as load capacity and driving velocity, while decreasing such parameters as costs to passengers, energy resources investments, fuel consumption, etc. Some of the problems have clear, if not always easily attainable, solutions.

Stellar pulsations provide a complex system in stars. This complexity is studied by analyzing the non-sinusoidal, semi-regular, or irregular light curves. This unique volume summarizes the application of recent theoretical results obtained from stellar pulsation studies. In addition, the latest developments in hydrodynamic simulations are discussed. A historical sketch of the study of beat Cepheids, first known for their variable amplitudes, is given as an introduction to the book. This introduction clearly demonstrates how complicated the study of variable stars can be, and therefore challenges and invites the reader to study the entire book.

This book contains 31 papers presented at the symposium on "Recent Advances in Composite Materials" which was organized in honor of Professor Stephanos A. Paipetis. The symposium took place at Democritus University of Thrace, in Xanthi, Greece on June 12-14, 2003. The book is a tribute to Stephanos A. Paipetis, a pioneer of composite materials, in recognition of his continuous, original diversified and outstanding contributions for half a century. The book consists of invited papers written by leading experts in the field. It contains original contributions concerning the latest developments in composite materials. It covers a wide range of subjects including experimental characterization, analytical modeling and applications of composite materials. The papers are arranged in the following six sections: General concepts, stress and failure analysis, mechanical properties, metal matrix composites, structural analysis and applications of composite materials. The first section on general concepts contains seven papers dealing with composites through the pursuit of the consilience among them, computation and mechatronic automation of multiphysics research, a theory of anisotropic scattering, wave propagation, multi-material composite wedges, a three-dimensional finite element analysis around broken fibers and an in situ assessment of the micromechanics of large scale bridging in ceramic composites.

The coupling of models from different physical domains and the efficient and reliable simulation of multidisciplinary problems in engineering applications are important topics for various fields of engineering, in simulation technology and in the development and analysis of numerical solvers.

The volume presents advanced modelling and simulation techniques for the dynamical analysis of coupled engineering systems consisting of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and biological components as well as control devices often based on computer hardware and software. The book starts with some basics in multibody dynamics and in port-based modelling and focuses on the modelling and simulation of heterogeneous systems with special emphasis on robust and efficient numerical solution techniques and on a variety of applied problems including case studies of co-simulation in industrial applications, methods and problems of model based controller design and real-time application.

Discontinuous Systems develops nonsmooth stability analysis and discontinuous control synthesis based on novel modeling of discontinuous dynamic systems, operating under uncertain conditions. While being primarily a research monograph devoted to the theory of discontinuous dynamic systems, no background in discontinuous systems is required; such systems are introduced in the book at the appropriate conceptual level. Being developed for discontinuous systems, the theory is successfully applied to their subclasses variable-structure and impulsive systems as well as to finite- and infinite-dimensional systems such as distributed-parameter and time-delay systems. The presentation concentrates on algorithms rather than on technical implementation although theoretical results are illustrated by electromechanical applications. These specific applications complete the book and, together with the introductory theoretical constituents bring some elements of the tutorial to the text.

Computational methods within structural acoustics, vibration and fluid-structure interaction are powerful tools for investigating acoustic and structural-acoustic problems in many sectors of industry; in the building industry regarding room acoustics, in the car industry and aeronautical industry for optimizing structural components with regard to vibrations characteristics etc. It is on the verge of becoming a common tool for noise characterization and design for optimizing structural properties and geometries in order to accomplish a desired acoustic environment. The book covers the field of computational mechanics, and then moved into the field of formulations of multiphysics and multiscale.

The book is addressed to graduate level, PhD students and young researchers interested in structural dynamics, vibrations and acoustics. It is also suitable for industrial researchers in mechanical, aeronautical and civil engineering with a professional interest in structural dynamics, vibrations and acoustics or involved in questions regarding noise characterization and reduction in building, car, plane, space, train, industries by means of computer simulations.

In this book a detailed and systematic treatment of asymptotic methods in the theory of plates and shells is presented. The main features of the book are the basic principles of asymptotics and their applications, traditional approaches such as regular and singular perturbations, as well as new approaches such as the composite equations approach. The book introduces the reader to the field of asymptotic simplification of the problems of the theory of plates and shells and will be useful as a handbook of methods of asymptotic integration. Providing a state-of-the-art review of asymptotic applications, this book will be useful as an introduction to the field for novices as well as a reference book for specialists.

] Starting with the research of G. Bogelsack in the 1970s, the analysis of biological locomotion andmanipulation systemsandtheirtechnical realizationhas beenan- portant research eld within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Ilmenau University of Technology. In 1996, the German Research Foundation (DFG) funded the Innovation College "Motion Systems" at the University of Jena in a coope- tion with engineers at the Ilmenau University of Technology. Thus, research was able to be intensi ed and extended. Of course, the whole spectrum of biologically inspired systems is much too wide, so the analysis was still focused on locomotion and manipulation systems. At this stage J. Steigenberger from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural S- ences at the Ilmenau University of Technology contributed important studies of worm-like locomotion systems with much dedication and technical competence. Moreover, he conceived and carried out a lecture series entitled "Mathematical Basics for Locomotion Systems," which was based on his evaluation of national and international research developments in this eld. I. Zeidis and K. Zimmermann contributed many publications on the mechanics of worm-like locomotion systems based on continuum and rigid-body models as well as asymptotic methods. Since 2004 the German Research Foundation has supported a series of projects led by K. Zimmermann dedicated to biologically inspired robotics. In addition to these activities, the Department of Technical Mechanics and the Department of Computer Application in Mechanical Engineering (M. Weiss) together with masters and doctoral students started the development of mobile robots for the RoboCup Small-Size League in 1998."

Vibration problems dealing with advanced Mathematical and Numerical Techniques have extensive application in a wide class of problems in ae- nautics, aerodynamics, space science and technology, off-shore engineering and in the design of different structural components of high speed space crafts and nuclear reactors. Different classes of vibration problems dealing with complex geometries and non-linear behaviour require careful attention of scientists and engineers in pursuit of their research activities. Almost all fields of Engineering, Science and Technology, ranging from small domestic building subjected to earthquake and cyclone to the space craft venturing towards different planets, from giant ship to human skeleton, encounter problems of vibration and dynamic loading. This being truly an interdisciplinary field, where the mathematicians, phy- cists and engineers could interface their innovative ideas and creative thoughts to arrive at an appropriate solution, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur, India, a premier institution for education and research in engineering, science and technology felt it appropriate to organize 8th International C- ference on "Vibration Problems (ICOVP-2007)" as a part of its sesquicentenary celebration. The conference created a platform and all aspects of vibration phenomenon with the focus on the state-of-the art in theoretical, experimental and applied research areas were addressed and the scientific interaction, p- ticipated by a large gathering including eminent personalities and young research workers, generated many research areas and innovative ideas.

This book reviews new results in the application of polynomial and rational matrices to continuous- and discrete-time systems. It provides the reader with rigorous and in-depth mathematical analysis of the uses of polynomial and rational matrices in the study of dynamical systems. It also throws new light on the problems of positive realization, minimum-energy control, reachability, and asymptotic and robust stability.

This is the first book dedicated to direct continuous-time model identification for 15 years. It cuts down on time spent hunting through journals by providing an overview of much recent research in an increasingly busy field. The CONTSID toolbox discussed in the final chapter gives an overview of developments and practical examples in which MATLAB(r) can be used for direct time-domain identification of continuous-time systems. This is a valuable reference for a broad audience.

Safety in industrial process and production plants is a concern of rising importance but because the control devices which are now exploited to improve the performance of industrial processes include both sophisticated digital system design techniques and complex hardware, there is a higher probability of failure. Control systems must include automatic supervision of closed-loop operation to detect and isolate malfunctions quickly. A promising method for solving this problem is "analytical redundancy", in which residual signals are obtained and an accurate model of the system mimics real process behaviour. If a fault occurs, the residual signal is used to diagnose and isolate the malfunction. This book focuses on model identification oriented to the analytical approach of fault diagnosis and identification covering: choice of model structure; parameter identification; residual generation; and fault diagnosis and isolation. Sample case studies are used to demonstrate the application of these techniques.

Well-written, practice-oriented textbook, and compact textbook

Presents the contemporary state of the art of control theory and its applications

Introduces traditional problems that are useful in the automatic control of technical processes, plus

presents current issues of control

Explains methods can be easily applied for the determination of the decision algorithms in computer control and management systems

The basic principles guiding sensing, perception and action in bio systems seem to rely on highly organised spatial-temporal dynamics. In fact, all biological senses, (visual, hearing, tactile, etc.) process signals coming from different parts distributed in space and also show a complex time evolution. As an example, mammalian retina performs a parallel representation of the visual world embodied into layers, each of which r- resents a particular detail of the scene. These results clearly state that visual perception starts at the level of the retina, and is not related uniquely to the higher brain centres. Although vision remains the most useful sense guiding usual actions, the other senses, ?rst of all hearing but also touch, become essential particularly in cluttered conditions, where visual percepts are somehow obscured by environment conditions. Ef?cient use of hearing can be learnt from acoustic perception in animals/insects, like crickets, that use this ancient sense more than all the others, to perform a vital function, like mating.

This book is devoted to applications of complex nonlinear dynamic phenomena to real systems and device applications. In recent decades there has been significant progress in the theory of nonlinear phenomena, but there are comparatively few devices that actually take this rich behavior into account. The text applies and exploits this knowledge to propose devices which operate more efficiently and cheaply, while affording the promise of much better performance.

This application-oriented monograph focuses on a novel and complex type of control systems. Written on an engineering level, including fundamentals, advanced methods and applications, the book applies techniques originating from new methods such as artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, neural networks etc.

This book explains why complex systems research is important in understanding the structure, function and dynamics of complex natural and social phenomena. It illuminates how complex collective behavior emerges from the parts of a system, due to the interaction between the system and its environment. Readers will learn the basic concepts and methods of complex system research. The book is not highly technical mathematically, but teaches and uses the basic mathematical notions of dynamical system theory, making the book useful for students of science majors and graduate courses.

Adaptive Structural Systems with Piezoelectric Transducer Circuitry provides a comprehensive discussion on the integration of piezoelectric transducers with electrical circuitry for the development and enhancement of adaptive structural systems.

Covering a wide range of interdisciplinary research, this monograph presents a paradigm of taking full advantage of the two-way electro-mechanical coupling characteristics of piezoelectric transducers for structural control and identification in adaptive structural systems. Presenting descriptions of algorithm development, theoretical analysis and experimental investigation, engineers and researchers alike will find this a valuable reference.

Besides turbulence there is hardly any other scientific topic which has been considered as a prominent scientific challenge for such a long time. The special interest in turbulence is not only based on it being a difficult scientific problem but also on its meaning in the technical world and our daily life. This carefully edited book comprises recent basic research as well as research related to the applications of turbulence. Therefore, both leading engineers and physicists working in the field of turbulence were invited to the iTi Conference on Turbulence held in Bad Zwischenahn, Gemany 25th - 28th of September 2005. Discussed topics include, for example, scaling laws and intermittency, thermal convection, boundary layers at large Reynolds numbers, isotropic turbulence, stochastic processes, passive and active scalars, coherent structures, numerical simulations, and related subjects.

Most books on this subject are designed for elective courses in "intermediate dynamics" covering advanced Newtonian and introductory Lagrangian methods. Such books do not give adequate emphasis to advanced topics in Newton-Euler dynamics. Because the first required course in dynamics usually concentrates on 2-D dynamics, important 3-D problems are left to a further course. Examples are robots, automated manufacturing devices, aerospace vehicles, and biomechanical components. This material cannot be covered adequately in one course if it is to be shared with an introduction to Langrangian methods. This text is devoted to application of Newton-Euler methods to complex, real-life 3-D dynamics problems; it essentially completes this topic.

Mechanics provides the link between mathematics and practical engineering app- cations. It is one of the oldest sciences, and many famous scientists have left and will leave their mark in this fascinating ?eld of research. Perhaps one of the most prominentscientists in mechanics was Sir Isaac Newton, who with his "laws of - tion" initiated the description of mechanical systems by differential equations. And still today, more than 300 years after Newton, this mathematical concept is more actual than ever. The rising computer power and the development of numerical solvers for diff- ential equations allowed engineersall over the world to predict the behavior of their physical systems fast and easy in an numerical way. And the trend to computational simulation methods is still further increasing, not only in mechanics, but practically in all branches of science. Numerical simulation will probablynot solve the world's engineering problems, but it will help for a better understanding of the mechanisms of our models.

This book presents a modern and self-contained treatment of the Liapunov method for stability analysis, in the framework of mathematical nonlinear control theory. A Particular focus is on the problem of the existence of Liapunov functions (converse Liapunov theorems) and their regularity, whose interest is especially motivated by applications to automatic control. Many recent results in this area have been collected and presented in a systematic way. Some of them are given in extended, unified versions and with new, simpler proofs. In the 2nd edition of this successful book several new sections were added and old sections have been improved, e.g., about the Zubovs method, Liapunov functions for discontinuous systems and cascaded systems. Many new examples, explanations and figures were added making this book accessible and well readable for engineers as well as mathematicians.

TheseriesAdvancesinIndustrialControl aimsto reportandencouragete- nologytransferincontrolengineering.Therapiddevelopmentofcontrolte- nology has an impact on all areas of the control discipline. New theory, new controllers, actuators, sensors, new industrial processes, computer methods, new applications, new philosophies, new challenges. Much of this devel- ment work resides in industrial reports, feasibility study papers and the - ports of advanced collaborative projects. The series o?ers an opportunity for researchersto present an extended exposition of such new work in all aspects of industrial control for wider and rapid dissemination. Autonomy for aerial, land, and marine (surface and underwater) vehicles is an ever-expanding ?eld of industrial control engineering in which there is signi?cant international interest. Currently, there are many prototypes and working autonomous vehicles in all the ?elds of application; however, some areas are better developed than others. Meanwhile in the control conference literature it is possible to see that frontier research has reached the pr- lems of working with groups, convoys or swarms of cooperating autonomous vehicles. The tasks that autonomous mobiles can tackle are very often either h- ardous, or, conversely, routine, wheretheuseofaninsitu humanoperatoristo be avoided, or simply technically (and economically) unnecessary. Typically, such tasks involve inspection, monitoring, and detection. For example, - manned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used to perform airborne sea searches, inspect long-distance power lines or oil and gas pipelines (particularly those traversing hostile, or hazardous terrain), monitor environmental or meteo- logical variables and survey crop production and forestry resources. This list is by no means exhaustive and UAVs can perform many other valuable tas

This book presents recent developments in vibration control systems that employ embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators, reviewing ways in which active vibration control systems can be designed for piezoelectric laminated structures, paying distinct attention to how such control systems can be implemented in real time. Includes numerous examples and experimental results obtained from laboratory-scale apparatus, with details of how similar setups can be built.

The aim of this International Symposium on Dynamics of Vibro-Impact Systems is to provide a forum for the discussion of recent developments in the theory and industrial applications of vibro-impact ocean systems. A special effort has been made to invite active researchers from engineering, science, and applied mathematics communities. This symposium has indeed updated engineers with recent analytical developments of vibro-impact dynamics and at the same time allowed engineers and industrial practitioners to alert mathematicians with their unresolved issues. The symposium was held in Troy, Michigan, during the period October 1-3, 2008. It included 28 presentations grouped as follows: The first group comprises of nine papers dealing with the interaction of ocean systems with slamming waves and floating ice. It also covers related topics such as sloshing-slamming dynamics, and non-smooth dynamics associated with offshore structures. Moreover, it includes control issues pertaining to marine surface vessels. The second group consists of fifteen papers treats the interaction of impact systems with friction and their control, Hertzian contact dynamics, parameter variation in vibro-impact oscillators, random excitation of vibro-impact systems, vibro-impact dampers, oscillators with a bouncing ball, limiting phase trajectory corresponding to energy exchange between the oscillator and external source, frequency-energy distribution in oscillators with impacts, and discontinuity mapping. The third group is covered in four papers and addresses some industrial applications such as hand-held percussion machines, rub-impact dynamics of rotating machinery, impact fatigue in joint structures.