This book makes available a self-contained collection of modern research addressing the general constrained optimization problems using evolutionary algorithms. Broadly the topics covered include constraint handling for single and multi-objective optimizations; penalty function based methodology; multi-objective based methodology; new constraint handling mechanism; hybrid methodology; scaling issues in constrained optimization; design of scalable test problems; parameter adaptation in constrained optimization; handling of integer, discrete and mix variables in addition to continuous variables; application of constraint handling techniques to real-world problems; and constrained optimization in dynamic environment. There is also a separate chapter on hybrid optimization, which is gaining lots of popularity nowadays due to its capability of bridging the gap between evolutionary and classical optimization. The material in the book is useful to researchers, novice, and experts alike. The book will also be useful for classroom teaching and future research.

This book contains mainly the selected papers of the First International Workshop on Medical and Service Robots, held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 2012. The high quality of the scientific contributions is the result of a rigorous selection and improvement based on the participants exchange of opinions and extensive peer-review. This process has led to the publishing of the present collection of 16 independent valuable contributions and points of view and not as standard symposium or conference proceedings.

The addressed issues are: Computational Kinematics, Mechanism Design, Linkages and Manipulators, Mechanisms for Biomechanics, Mechanics of Robots, Control Issues for Mechanical Systems, Novel Designs, Teaching Methods, all of these being concentrated around robotic systems for medical and service applications.

The results are of interest to researchers and professional practitioners as well as to Ph.D. students in the field of mechanical and electrical engineering.

This volume marks the start of a subseries entitled New Trends in Medical and Service Robots within the "Machine and Mechanism Science Series," presenting recent trends, research results and new challenges in the field of medical and service robotics.

"

High-precision cleaning is required across many sectors, including aerospace, defense, medical device manufacturing, pharmaceutical processing, semiconductor/electronics, and more. In this comprehensive reference work, solvent cleaning equipment is thoroughly covered with a focus on the engineering details of its operation and selection. Key data is provided alongside practical guidance, giving scientists and engineers in multiple sectors the information they need not only to choose the correct machine in the first place, but also how to operate it effectively and efficiently.

Low emission open-top vapor degreasers, enclosed machines of the vacuum and pressurized type, cosolvent machines, and adsorption of "tailpipe emissions" are covered in detail and fully illustrated in color. This unique book covers material known by designers and manufacturers of solvent cleaning machines, but not collected and organized for the benefit of users.

The comprehensive coverage provided by John Durkee makes this book relevant and timely not only for readers who wish to know more about how solvent cleaning equipment works but also those who are under pressure from environmental regulators or corporate management to find effective alternatives and those engaged in non-solvent cleaning operations who are unsatisfied with their cleaning results.
Clear, straightforward explanations of how various types of cleaning solvents should be managed to clean partsFull-color, hand-drawn illustrations and photographs of the important internal sections of solvent cleaning machinesDesign calculations of operating parameters in solvent cleaning machines

This book presents practical applications of the finite element method to general differential equations. The underlying strategy of deriving the finite element solution is introduced using linear ordinary differential equations, thus allowing the basic concepts of the finite element solution to be introduced without being obscured by the additional mathematical detail required when applying this technique to partial differential equations. The author generalizes the presented approach to partial differential equations which include nonlinearities. The book also includes variations of the finite element method such as different classes of meshes and basic functions. Practical application of the theory is emphasised, with development of all concepts leading ultimately to a description of their computational implementation illustrated using Matlab functions. The target audience primarily comprises applied researchers and practitioners in engineering, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

This book provides comprehensive coverage of stress and strain analysis of circular cylinders and pressure vessels, one of the classic topics of machine design theory and methodology. Whereas other books offer only a partial treatment of the subject and frequently consider stress analysis solely in the elastic field, Circular Cylinders and Pressure Vessels broadens the design horizons, analyzing theoretically what happens at pressures that stress the material beyond its yield point and at thermal loads that give rise to creep. The consideration of both traditional and advanced topics ensures that the book will be of value for a broad spectrum of readers, including students in postgraduate, and doctoral programs and established researchers and design engineers. The relations provided will serve as a sound basis for the design of products that are safe, technologically sophisticated, and compliant with standards and codes and for the development of innovative applications.

Couplings and Shaft Alignment provides positive practical guidance to engineers dealing with shaft couplings for the transmission of power, and concerned with the related problem of shaft alignment. First published in 1991, this useful text has been revised and reprinted in a more readable, updated format. COMPLETE CONTENTS: An approach to coupling selection Preliminary choice Gear couplings Multiple membrane couplings Contoured disc couplings Elastomeric element couplings Quill shaft couplings Alignment Effect on machine train dynamics Hub mounting Accessories Nomenclature Coupling data sheet Bibliography The book offers a systematic approach to the selection and specification of shaft couplings, and a rational approach to shaft alignment, which can assist in achieving the desired levels of reliability in process plant. It can be wholeheartedly recommended to all practising engineers involved in the design, specification, selection, operation, and maintenance of machine systems involving flexible shaft couplings.

This book reports on the physical and mechanical characterization of Recycled Aggregate Concrete (RAC), produced through a partial-to-total replacement of ordinary aggregates with what have been dubbed Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCAs). It proposes a theoretical framework for understanding the relationships between RCAs and RCA, and for predicting the resulting behavior of RAC. The book demonstrates that in the case of RAC two additional parameters have to be taken into account than with ordinary aggregates, due to the composite nature and higher porosity of RCAs. By extending Abrams' Law for Recycled Aggregate Concrete, it represents a first step in the formulation of a general model for predicting the properties of RAC. The theoretical approach presented here addresses an important gap in the literature and is expected to stimulate new research on the use of this more sustainable form of concrete in structural applications.

Advances in Science and Technology of Mn+1AXn Phases presents a comprehensive review of synthesis, microstructures, properties, ab-initio calculations and applications of Mn+1AXn phases and targets the continuing research of advanced materials and ceramics. An overview of the current status, future directions, challenges and opportunities of Mn+1AXn phases that exhibit some of the best attributes of metals and ceramics is included. Students of materials science and engineering at postgraduate level will value this book as a reference source at an international level for both teaching and research in materials science and engineering. In addition to students the principal audiences of this book are ceramic researchers, materials scientists and engineers, materials physicists and chemists. The book is also an invaluable reference for the professional materials and ceramics societies.
The most up-to-date and comprehensive research data on MAX phases is presentedWritten by highly knowledgeable and well-respected researchers in the fieldDiscusses new and unusual properties

This book assesses the state-of-the-art in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applied to ship hydrodynamics and provides guidelines for the future developments in the field based on the Gothenburg 2010 Workshop. It presents ship hull test cases, experimental data and submitted computational methods, conditions, grids and results. Analysis is made of errors for global (resistance, sinkage and trim and self-propulsion) and local flow (wave elevations and mean velocities and turbulence) variables, including standard deviations for global variables and propeller modeling for self-propulsion. The effects of grid size and turbulence models are evaluated for both global and local flow variables. Detailed analysis is made of turbulence modeling capabilities for capturing local flow physics. Errors are also analyzed for head-wave seakeeping and forward speed diffraction, and calm-water forward speed-roll decay. Resistance submissions are used to evaluate the error and uncertainty by means of a systematic verification and validation (V&V) study along with statistical investigations. Post-workshop experimental and computational studies are conducted and analyzed for evaluation of facility biases and to draw more concrete conclusions regarding the most reliable turbulence model, appropriate numerical methods and grid resolution requirements, respectively.

This book focuses on the dissemination of information of permanent interest in thermo-mechanics applications and engineering technology. Contributions have clear relevance to industrial device and a relatively straightforward or feasible path to application. Chapters are sought that have long-term relevance to specific applications including convective heat transfer, fluid mechanics, combustion, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, turbomachinery and multi-phase flows. In fact, many aspects in industrial operations and daily life are closely related to thermo-mechanics processes. Along with the development of computer industry and the advancement of numerical methods, solid foundation in both hardware and software has been established to study the processes by using numerical simulation methods, which play important roles in the ways of extending research topics, reducing research costs, discovering new phenomena, and developing new technologies. The presented case studies and development approaches aim to provide the readers, such as engineers and PhD students, with basic and applied studies broadly related to the Thermo-Mechanics Applications and Engineering Technology.

This book starts with background concerning three-dimensional integration - including their low energy consumption and high speed image processing - and then proceeds to how to construct them and which materials to use in particular situations. The book covers numerous applications, including next generation smart phones, driving assistance systems, capsule endoscopes, homing missiles, and many others. The book concludes with recent progress and developments in three dimensional packaging, as well as future prospects.

This is the first book of a series that will focus on MMS (Mechanism and Machine Science). This book also presents IFToMM, the International Federation on the Promotion of MMS and its activity. This volume contains contributions by IFToMM officers who are Chairs of member organizations (MOs), permanent commissions (PCs), and technical committees (TCs), who have reported their experiences and views toward the future of IFToMM and MMS. The book is composed of three parts: the first with general considerations by high-standing IFToMM persons, the second chapter with views by the chairs of PCs and TCs as dealing with specific subject areas, and the third one with reports by the chairs of MOs as presenting experiences and challenges in national and territory communities. This book will be of interest to a wide public who wish to know the status and trends in MMS both at international level through IFToMM and in national/local frames through the leading actors of activities. In addition, the book can be considered also a fruitful source to find out "who's who" in MMS, historical backgrounds and trends in MMS developments, as well as for challenges and problems in future activity by IFToMM community and in MMS at large.

Plasma engineering applies the unique properties of plasmas (ionized gases) to improve processes and performance over many fields, such as materials processing, spacecraft propulsion, and nanofabrication. "Plasma Engineering" considers this rapidly expanding discipline from a unified standpoint, addressing fundamentals of physics and modeling as well as new real-word applications in aerospace, nanotechnology, and bioengineering.

The book starts by reviewing plasma particle collisions, waves, and instabilities, and proceeds to diagnostic tools, such as planar, spherical, and emissive probes, and the electrostatic analyzer, interferometric technique, and plasma spectroscopy. The physics of different types of electrical discharges are considered, including the classical Townsend mechanism of gas electrical breakdown and the Paschen law. Basic approaches and theoretical methodologies for plasma modeling are described, based on the fluid description of plasma solving numerically magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations and the kinetic model particle techniques that take into account kinetic interactions among particles and electromagnetic fields.

Readers are then introduced to the widest variety of applications in any text on the market. Space propulsion applications such as the Hall thruster, pulsed plasma thrusters, and microthruster are explained. Application of low-temperature plasmas in nanoscience and nanotechnology, another frontier in plasma physics, is covered, including plasma-based techniques for carbon-based nanoparticle synthesis (e.g., fundamental building blocks like single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene). Plasma medicine, an emerging field studying plasmas for therapeutic applications, is examined as well. The latest original results on cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) applications in medicine are presented, with a focus on the therapeutic potential of CAP with a in selective tumor cell eradication and signaling pathway deregulation.
The first textbook that addresses plasma engineering in the aerospace, nanotechnology, and bioengineering fields from a unified standpointIncludes a large number of worked examples, end of chapter exercises, and historical perspectivesAccompanying plasma simulation software covering the Particle in Cell (PIC) approach, available at http: //www.particleincell.com/blog/2011/particle-in-cell-example/

The book contains 26 scientific contributions by leading experts from Russia, Austria, Italy, Japan and Taiwan. It presents an overview on recent developments in Advanced Dynamics and Model Based Control of Structures and Machines. Main topics are nonlinear control of structures and systems, sensing and actuation, active and passive damping, nano- and micromechanics, vibrations and waves.

In recent years, scientists and researchers have been continually searching for efficient and effective ways to harness solar energy for heat and power production. The development of solar technologies and thermal systems are a prevalent area of study, as they represent a vital step in fully optimizing the potential of solar energy. Unfortunately, research is still lacking on the development and application of these solar thermal systems. Modeling and Optimization of Solar Thermal Systems: Emerging Research and Opportunities provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of optimizing the performance of solar thermal technologies using multicriteria decision-making techniques. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as parabolic trough collectors, hybrid solar energy, and thermal technology, this book is ideally designed for practitioners, engineers, academicians, researchers, students, industry professionals, and educators seeking current research on modern modeling methods of solar thermal systems.

"Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics "merges two long-running serials--"Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics" and "Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy."
This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.
Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

This the sixth volume of six from the Annual Conference of the Society for Experimental Mechanics, 2010, brings together 128 chapters on Experimental and Applied Mechanics. It presents early findings from experimental and computational investigations including High Accuracy Optical Measurements of Surface Topography, Elastic Properties of Living Cells, Standards for Validating Stress Analyses by Integrating Simulation and Experimentation, Efficiency Enhancement of Dye-sensitized Solar Cell, and Blast Performance of Sandwich Composites With Functionally Graded Core.

This is the 2nd edition of the book, Flow Visualization: Techniques and Examples, which was published by Imperial College Press in 2000. Many of the chapters have been revised and updated to take into consideration recent changes in a number of flow visualization and measurement techniques, including an updated high quality flow gallery. Unique among similar publications, this book focuses on the practical rather than theoretical aspects. Obtaining high quality flow visualization results is, in many ways, more of an art than a science, and experience plays a key deciding role. The depth and breadth of the material will make this book invaluable to readers of all levels of experience in the field.