The work of the RILEM Technical Committee (TC -236 BBM) was dedicated to the study of construction materials made from plant particles. It considered the question whether building materials containing as main raw material recyclable and easily available plant particles are renewable. This book includes a state-of-the-art report and an appendix. The state-of-the-art report relates to the description of vegetal aggregates. Then, hygrothermal properties, fire resistance, durability and finally the impact of the variability of the method of production of bio-based concrete are assessed. The appendix is a TC report which presents the experience of a working group. The goal was to define testing methods for the measurement of water absorption, bulk density, particle size distribution, and thermal conductivity of bio aggregates. The work is based on a first round robin test of the TC-BBM where the protocols in use by the different laboratories (labs) are compared. p>

This book addresses several important issues concerning the nanomechanics of graphene, an area that is vital to a fundamental understanding of graphene deformation, and to the design of graphene-related materials. The content chiefly focuses on the out-of-plane mechanical behaviors of graphene, and their effects on the mechanical properties of graphene composites. In addition, the book puts forward original theoretical mechanical models based on continuum mechanics, discontinuous effects and atomistic simulations. The findings presented here can provide the basis for valuable guidelines on the design and application of graphene and graphene composites in the field of nanomechanics.

Nominated by Tsinghua University as an outstanding Ph.D. thesis, this book investigates the mechanical properties of unsaturated compacted clayey soil, the multi-field coupling consolidation theory of unsaturated soil and its application to a 261.5 m high earth-rockfill dam. It proposes a multi-field coupling analysis method of consolidation, and develops an efficient and practical finite element (FE) program for large-scale complex earth-rockfill dams. The book is primarily intended for researchers studying the multi-field coupling analysis of seepage consolidation.

This book provides a simple and unified approach to the mechanics of discontinuous-fibre reinforced composites, and introduces readers as generally as possible to the key concepts regarding the mechanics of elastic stress transfer, intermediate modes of stress transfer, plastic stress transfer, fibre pull-out, fibre fragmentation and matrix rupture. These concepts are subsequently applied to progressive stages of the loading process, through to the composite fractures. The book offers a valuable guide for advanced undergraduate and graduate students attending lecture courses on fibre composites. It is also intended for beginning researchers who wish to develop deeper insights into how discontinuous fibre provides reinforcement to composites, and for engineers, particularly those who wish to apply the concepts presented here to design and develop discontinuous-fibre reinforced composites.

The book presents a state-of-the-art overview of biomechanical and mechanobiological modeling and simulation of soft biological tissues. Seven well-known scientists working in that particular field discuss topics such as biomolecules, networks and cells as well as failure, multi-scale, agent-based, bio-chemo-mechanical and finite element models appropriate for computational analysis. Applications include arteries, the heart, vascular stents and valve implants as well as adipose, brain, collagenous and engineered tissues. The mechanics of the whole cell and sub-cellular components as well as the extracellular matrix structure and mechanotransduction are described. In particular, the formation and remodeling of stress fibers, cytoskeletal contractility, cell adhesion and the mechanical regulation of fibroblast migration in healing myocardial infarcts are discussed. The essential ingredients of continuum mechanics are provided. Constitutive models of fiber-reinforced materials with an emphasis on arterial walls and the myocardium are discussed and the important influence of residual stresses on material response emphasized. The mechanics and function of the heart, the brain and adipose tissues are discussed as well. Particular attention is focused on microstructural and multi-scale modeling, finite element implementation and simulation of cells and tissues.

This book presents a liber amicorum dedicated to Wolfgang H. Muller, and highlights recent advances in Prof. Muller's major fields of research: continuum mechanics, generalized mechanics, thermodynamics, mechanochemistry, and geomechanics. Over 50 of Prof. Muller's friends and colleagues contributed to this book, which commemorates his 60th birthday and was published in recognition of his outstanding contributions.

This textbook presents finite element methods using exclusively one-dimensional elements. It presents the complex methodology in an easily understandable but mathematically correct fashion. The approach of one-dimensional elements enables the reader to focus on the understanding of the principles of basic and advanced mechanical problems. The reader will easily understand the assumptions and limitations of mechanical modeling as well as the underlying physics without struggling with complex mathematics. Although the description is easy, it remains scientifically correct. The approach using only one-dimensional elements covers not only standard problems but allows also for advanced topics such as plasticity or the mechanics of composite materials. Many examples illustrate the concepts and problems at the end of every chapter help to familiarize with the topics. Each chapter also includes a few exercise problems, with short answers provided at the end of the book. The second edition appears with a complete revision of all figures. It also presents a complete new chapter special elements and added the thermal conduction into the analysis of rod elements. The principle of virtual work has also been introduced for the derivation of the finite-element principal equation.

This timely book deals with a current topic, i.e. the applications of metaheuristic algorithms, with a primary focus on optimization problems in civil engineering. The first chapter offers a concise overview of different kinds of metaheuristic algorithms, explaining their advantages in solving complex engineering problems that cannot be effectively tackled by traditional methods, and citing the most important works for further reading. The remaining chapters report on advanced studies on the applications of certain metaheuristic algorithms to specific engineering problems. Genetic algorithm, bat algorithm, cuckoo search, harmony search and simulated annealing are just some of the methods presented and discussed step by step in real-application contexts, in which they are often used in combination with each other. Thanks to its synthetic yet meticulous and practice-oriented approach, the book is a perfect guide for graduate students, researchers and professionals willing to applying metaheuristic algorithms in civil engineering and other related engineering fields, such as mechanical, transport and geotechnical engineering. It is also a valuable aid for both lectures and advanced engineering students.

This book is based on the 55th International Conference of Machine Design Departments 2014 (ICMD 2014) which was hosted by the Czech Technical University in September 2014. It features scientific articles which solve progressive themes from the field of machine design. The book addresses a broad range of themes including tribology, hydraulics, materials science, product innovation and experimental methods. It presents the latest interdisciplinary high-tech work. People with an interest in the latest research results in the field of machine design and manufacturing engineering will value this book with contributions of leading academic scientists and experts from all around the world.

This book was written to facilitate column sizing and reinforcement design for structural engineers. It arranges the design data in a clearly structured manner, and provides quick and easy ways for engineers to compare the feasibility of multiple alternatives (various column sizes and reinforcement configurations). With the help of this book, engineers can rapidly produce outputs for architects, which the latter can incorporate into their architectural layout plans. These outputs can also benefit quantity surveyors, especially for costing purposes, and help avoid careless design errors. The book is chiefly intended for structural engineers who implement Eurocode 2 for reinforced concrete design. To gain the most from it, readers should possess a basic understanding of column design, e.g. the stresses and forces produced in columns and their reinforcements when subjected to axial load and bending moment. However, the book also provides explanatory notes for the design data tables, allowing them to be used without prior background knowledge.

This book thoroughly describes a theory concerning the yield and failure of materials under multi-axial stresses - the Unified Strength Theory, which was first proposed by the author and has been frequently quoted since. It provides a system of yield and failure criteria adopted for most materials, from metals to rocks, concretes, soils, and polymers. This new edition includes six additional chapters: General behavior of Strength theory function; Visualization of the Unified Strength Theory; Equivalent Stress of the UST and Comparisons with other criteria; Economic Signification of the UST; General form of failure criterion; Beauty of Strength Theories. It is intended for researchers and graduate students in various fields, including engineering mechanics, material mechanics, plasticity, soil mechanics, rock mechanics, mechanics of metallic materials and civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, geotechnical engineering, mechanical engineering and military engineering.

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.

This volume contains the best papers presented at the 2nd ECCOMAS International Conference on Multiscale Computations for Solids and Fluids, held June 10-12, 2015. Topics dealt with include multiscale strategy for efficient development of scientific software for large-scale computations, coupled probability-nonlinear-mechanics problems and solution methods, and modern mathematical and computational setting for multi-phase flows and fluid-structure interaction. The papers consist of contributions by six experts who taught short courses prior to the conference, along with several selected articles from other participants dealing with complementary issues, covering both solid mechanics and applied mathematics.

This book offers a comprehensive treatment of nonlocal elasticity theory as applied to the prediction of the mechanical characteristics of various types of biological and non-biological nanoscopic structures with different morphologies and functional behaviour. It combines fundamental notions and advanced concepts, covering both the theory of nonlocal elasticity and the mechanics of nanoscopic structures and systems. By reporting on recent findings and discussing future challenges, the book seeks to foster the application of nonlocal elasticity based approaches to the emerging fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. It is a self-contained guide, and covers all relevant background information, the requisite mathematical and computational techniques, theoretical assumptions, physical methods and possible limitations of the nonlocal approach, including some practical applications. Mainly written for researchers in the fields of physics, biophysics, mechanics, and nanoscience, as well as computational engineers, the book can also be used as a reference guide for senior undergraduate and graduate students, as well as practicing engineers working in a range of areas, such as computational condensed matter physics, computational materials science, computational nanoscience and nanotechnology, and nanomechanics.

This book provides a concise discussion of fatigue crack growth (FCG) failure and lifing analysis methods for metallic aircraft structures and components. After a reasonably concise historical review, surveys are made of (i) the importance of fatigue for aircraft structural failures and the sources of fatigue nucleation and cracking, (ii) contemporary FCG lifing methods, and (iii) the Quantitative Fractography (QF) required for determining the actual FCG behaviour. These surveys are followed by the main part of the book, which is a discussion, using case histories, of the applicabilities of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) and non-LEFM methods for analysing service fatigue failures and full- and sub-scale test results. This discussion is derived primarily from the experiences of the Defence Science and Technology Group in Melbourne, Australia, and the Netherlands Aerospace Centre, Marknesse, the Netherlands.

This textbook describes rules and procedures for the use of Differential Operators (DO) in Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE). The book provides a detailed theoretical and numerical description of ODE. It presents a large variety of ODE and the chosen groups are used to solve a host of physical problems. Solving these problems is of interest primarily to students of science, such as physics, engineering, biology and chemistry. Scientists are greatly assisted by using the DO obeying several simple algebraic rules. The book describes these rules and, to help the reader, the vocabulary and the definitions used throughout the text are provided. A thorough description of the relatively straightforward methodology for solving ODE is given. The book provides solutions to a large number of associated problems. ODE that are integrable, or those that have one of the two variables missing in any explicit form are also treated with solved problems. The physics and applicable mathematics are explained and many associated problems are analyzed and solved in detail. Numerical solutions are analyzed and the level of exactness obtained under various approximations is discussed in detail.

This book gathers the peer-reviewed contributions presented at two parallel, closely interconnected events on advanced construction materials and processes, namely the 2nd International RILEM Conference on Rheology and Processing of Construction Materials (RheoCon2) and the 9th International RILEM Symposium on Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC9), held in Dresden, Germany on 8-11 September 2019. The papers discuss various aspects of research on the development, testing, and applications of cement-based and other building materials together with their specific rheological properties. Furthermore, the papers cover the latest findings in the fast-growing field of self-compacting concrete, addressing topics including components' properties and characterization; chemical admixtures, effect of binders (incl. geopolymers, calcined clay, etc.) and mixture design; laboratory and in-situ rheological testing; constitutive models and flow modelling; numerical simulations; mixing, processing and casting processes; and additive manufacturing / 3D-printing. Also presenting case studies, the book is of interest to researchers, graduate students, and industry specialists, such as material suppliers, consultants and construction experts.

This book is the first of 2 special volumes dedicated to the memory of Gerard Maugin. Including 40 papers that reflect his vast field of scientific activity, the contributions discuss non-standard methods (generalized model) to demonstrate the wide range of subjects that were covered by this exceptional scientific leader. The topics range from micromechanical basics to engineering applications, focusing on new models and applications of well-known models to new problems. They include micro-macro aspects, computational endeavors, options for identifying constitutive equations, and old problems with incorrect or non-satisfying solutions based on the classical continua assumptions.

This thesis studies the effects of superplasticizers, polyacrylate latexes and asphalt emulsions, which differ in molecular/particle size from nanometers to microns, on the rheological properties of fresh cement pastes (FCPs), as well as the action mechanisms involved. It systematically investigates the rheological properties and microstructure of cement-based materials, and elucidates the adsorption behaviors of polycarboxylate polymers with different functional groups and their effects on cement hydration. Moreover, it reveals how the working mechanism of naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde (NSF) differs from that of polycarboxylate ether-based (PCE) superplasticizers. Lastly, it develops a conceptual microstructure model and two rheological equations. These findings lend theoretical support to the development of new chemical admixtures and new, higher-performance, cement-based composites.

RILEM TC 248-MMB was established in 2012 with the main aim to improve and distribute knowledge related to moisture measurement in construction materials in various scientific and industrial applications. Properties and performance of building materials and structures are influenced to a large extent by the moisture conditions in the materials. Obvious examples are heat conductivity, shrinkage and creep, transport properties, most types of deterioration, discoloration etc. For research and applications the moisture conditions must be quantified, by measurements in the laboratory or under field conditions. There is much variation in methods being used, even within the same topic, in different countries, both with regard to materials and to applications. No consensus whatsoever does exist. For the construction industry it is important to be able to quantify the moisture conditions in an accurate way in various applications. This state-of-the-art report is divided into two parts, Principles and Applications, with altogether 28 chapters on various moisture measuring principles and a number of applications.

This book presents a modern and unconventional introduction to anisotropy. The first part presents a general description of Anisotropic Elasticity theories while the second part focuses on the polar formalism: the theoretical bases and results are completely developed along with applications to design problems of laminated anisotropic structures. The book is based on lectures on anisotropy which have been held at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris.

This book contains the keynote presentations, invited speeches, and general session papers presented at the 2nd International Symposium on Asia Urban GeoEngineering, which will be held from 24 November to 27 November 2017 in Changsha, China. The contents will cover the topics of (i) Fundamental behavior and constitutive model of geomaterials, (ii) Excavation and slope engineering, (iii) Tunnel and underground engineering, (iv) Foundation and foundation treatment, (v) Environmental geotechnical engineering, (vi) Numerical methods in geotechnical engineering. It will provide an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences of the analysis, design, construction, and maintenance of urban geoengineering among engineers, researchers, and professors in Asian countries. It will improve our knowledge of requirements of geoengineering for a long-term sustainable urban development and the need to protect and preserve our environment.

This book of recommendations presents an overview of High Frequency Mechanical Impact (HFMI) techniques existing today in the market and their proper procedures, quality assurance measures and documentation. Due to differences in HFMI tools and the wide variety of potential applications, certain details of proper treatments and quantitative quality control measures are presented generally. An example of procedure specification as a quality assurance measure is given in the Appendix. Moreover, the book presents procedures for the fatigue life assessment of HFMI-improved welded joints based on nominal stress, structural hot spot stress and effective notch stress. It also considers the extra benefit that has been experimentally observed for HFMI-treated high-strength steels. The recommendations offer proposals on the effect of loading conditions like high mean stress fatigue cycles, variable amplitude loading and large amplitude/low cycle fatigue cycles. Special considerations for low stress concentration welded joints are also given. In order to demonstrate the use of the guideline, the book provides several fatigue assessment examples.

Granular forms of common materials such as metals and ceramics, sands and soils, porous energetic materials (explosives, reactive mixtures), and foams exhibit interesting behaviors due to their heterogeneity and critical length scale, typically commensurate with the grain or pore size. Under extreme conditions of impact, granular and porous materials display highly localized phenomena such as fracture, inelastic deformation, and the closure of voids, which in turn strongly influence the bulk response. Due to the complex nature of these interactions and the short time scales involved, computational methods have proven to be powerful tools to investigate these phenomena. Thus, the coupled use of experiment, theory, and simulation is critical to advancing our understanding of shock processes in initially porous and granular materials. This is a comprehensive volume on granular and porous materials for researchers working in the area of shock and impact physics. The book is divided into three sections, where the first presents the fundamentals of shock physics as it pertains to the equation of state, compaction, and strength properties of porous materials. Building on these fundamentals, the next section examines several applications where dynamic processes involving initially porous materials are prevalent, focusing on the areas of penetration, planetary impact, and reactive munitions. The final section provides a look at emerging areas in the field, where the expansion of experimental and computational capabilities are opening the door for new opportunities in the areas of advanced light sources, molecular dynamics modeling, and additively manufactured porous structures. By intermixing experiment, theory, and simulation throughout, this book serves as an excellent, up-to-date desk reference for those in the field of shock compression science of porous and granular materials.

This book gives Abaqus users who make use of finite-element models in academic or practitioner-based research the in-depth program knowledge that allows them to debug a structural analysis model. The book provides many methods and guidelines for different analysis types and modes, that will help readers to solve problems that can arise with Abaqus if a structural model fails to converge to a solution. The use of Abaqus affords a general checklist approach to debugging analysis models, which can also be applied to structural analysis. The author uses step-by-step methods and detailed explanations of special features in order to identify the solutions to a variety of problems with finite-element models. The book promotes: * a diagnostic mode of thinking concerning error messages; * better material definition and the writing of user material subroutines; * work with the Abaqus mesher and best practice in doing so; * the writing of user element subroutines and contact features with convergence issues; and * consideration of hardware and software issues and a Windows HPC cluster solution. The methods and information provided facilitate job diagnostics and help to obtain converged solutions for finite-element models regarding structural component assemblies in static or dynamic analysis. The troubleshooting advice ensures that these solutions are both high-quality and cost-effective according to practical experience. The book offers an in-depth guide for students learning about Abaqus, as each problem and solution are complemented by examples and straightforward explanations. It is also useful for academics and structural engineers wishing to debug Abaqus models on the basis of error and warning messages that arise during finite-element modelling processing.