This book describes for the first time a simulation method for the fast calculation of contact properties and friction between rough surfaces in a complete form.

In contrast to existing simulation methods, the method of dimensionality reduction (MDR) is based on the exact mapping of various types of three-dimensional contact problems onto contacts of one-dimensional foundations. Within the confines of MDR, not only are three dimensional systems reduced to one-dimensional, but also the resulting degrees of freedom are independent from another. Therefore, MDR results in an enormous reduction of the development time for the numerical implementation of contact problems as well as the direct computation time and can ultimately assume a similar role in tribology as FEM has in structure mechanics or CFD methods, in hydrodynamics. Furthermore, it substantially simplifies analytical calculation and presents a sort of pocket book edition of the entirety contact mechanics.

Measurements of the rheology of bodies in contact as well as their surface topography and adhesive properties are the inputs of the calculations. In particular, it is possible to capture the entire dynamics of a system beginning with the macroscopic, dynamic contact calculation all the way down to the influence of roughness in a single numerical simulation model. Accordingly, MDR allows for the unification of the characteristic methods of solving contact problems on different scales.

The goals of this book are on the one hand, to prove the applicability and reliability of the method and on the other hand, to explain its extremely simple application to those interested."

This book presents the main outcomes of the first European research project on the seismic behavior of adjustable steel storage pallet racking systems. In particular, it describes a comprehensive and unique set of full-scale tests designed to assess such behavior. The tests performed include cyclic tests of full-scale rack components, namely beam-to-upright connections and column base connections; static and dynamic tests to assess the friction factor between pallets and rack beams; full-scale pushover and pseudodynamic tests of storage racks in down-aisle and cross-aisle directions; and full-scale dynamic tests on two-bay, three-level rack models. The implications of the findings of this extensive testing regime on the seismic behavior of racking systems are discussed in detail, highlighting e.g. the confirmation that under severe dynamic conditions "sliding" is the main factor influencing rack response. This work was conceived during the development of the SEISRACKS project. Its outcomes will contribute significantly to increasing our knowledge of the structural behavior of racks under earthquake conditions and should inform future rack design.

This successful book, which is now appearing in its second edition, presents a comprehensive new Statics of Masonry Constructions. Masonry constructions are the great majority of the buildings in Europe's historic centres and the most important monuments in its architectural heritage. Given the age of these constructions, the demand for safety assessments and restoration projects is pressing and constant. The book you hold in hands contributes to fill this demand. The second edition integrates the original text of the first edition with new developments, widening and revisions, due to recent research studies achievements. The result is a book that gives a complete picture of the behaviour of the Masonry Constructions. First of all, it gives the fundamentals of its Statics, based on the no-tension assumption, and then it develops the Limit Analysis for the Masonry Constructions. In this framework, through an interdisciplinary approach combining Engineering and Architecture, the book also investigates the static behaviour of many historic monuments, such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the domes of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and St Peter's in Rome, as well as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Gothic Cathedrals. Finally, the book gives an in-depth study of masonry buildings under seismic actions.

Mathematical optimization encompasses both a rich and rapidly evolving body of fundamental theory, and a variety of exciting applications in science and engineering. The present book contains a careful selection of articles on recent advances in optimization theory, numerical methods, and their applications in engineering. It features in particular new methods and applications in the fields of optimal control, PDE-constrained optimization, nonlinear optimization, and convex optimization. The authors of this volume took part in the 14th Belgian-French-German Conference on Optimization (BFG09) organized in Leuven, Belgium, on September 14-18, 2009. The volume contains a selection of reviewed articles contributed by the conference speakers as well as three survey articles by plenary speakers and two papers authored by the winners of the best talk and best poster prizes awarded at BFG09. Researchers and graduate students in applied mathematics, computer science, and many branches of engineering will find in this book an interesting and useful collection of recent ideas on the methods and applications of optimization.

Damage to the central nervous system resulting from pathological mechanical loading can occur as a result of trauma or disease. Such injuries lead to significant disability and mortality. The peripheral nervous system, while also subject to injury from trauma and disease, also transduces physiological loading to give rise to sensation, and mechanotransduction is also thought to play a role in neural development and growth. This book gives a complete and quantitative description of the fundamental mechanical properties of neural tissues, and their responses to both physiological and pathological loading. This book reviews the methods used to characterize the nonlinear viscoelastic properties of central and peripheral neural tissues, and the mathematical and sophisticated computational models used to describe this behaviour. Mechanisms and models of neural injury from both trauma and disease are reviewed from the molecular to macroscopic scale. The book provides a comprehensive picture of the mechanical and biological response of neural tissues to the full spectrum of mechanical loading to which they are exposed. This book provides a comprehensive reference for professionals involved in pre prevention of injury to the nervous system, whether this arises from trauma or disease.

This monograph presents the latest developments and applications of computational tools related to the biosciences and medical engineering. Computational tools such as the finite element methods, computer-aided design and optimization as well as visualization techniques such as computed axial tomography open completely new research fields with a closer joining of the engineering and bio/medical area. Nevertheless, there are still hurdles since both directions are based on quite different ways of education. Often even the "language" is sometimes different from discipline to discipline. This monograph reports the results of different multi-disciplinary research projects, for example, from the areas of scaffolds and synthetic bones, implants and medical devices and medical materials. It is also shown that the application of computational methods often necessitates mathematical and experimental methods.

The book covers the state-of-the-art treatment in modelling and experimental investigation of the mechanical behaviour of cellular and porous materials. Starting from the continuum mechanical modelling, to the numerical simulation, several important questions related to applications such as the fracture and impact behaviour are covered.

This book addresses the properties of particles in colloidal suspensions. It has a focus on particle aggregates and the dependency of their physical behaviour on morphological parameters. For this purpose, relevant theories and methodological tools are reviewed and applied to selected examples. The book is divided into four main chapters. The first of them introduces important measurement techniques for the determination of particle size and interfacial properties in colloidal suspensions. A further chapter is devoted to the physico-chemical properties of colloidal particles-highlighting the interfacial phenomena and the corresponding interactions between particles. The book's central chapter examines the structure-property relations of colloidal aggregates. This comprises concepts to quantify size and structure of aggregates, models and numerical tools for calculating the (light) scattering and hydrodynamic properties of aggregates, and a discussion on van-der-Waals and double layer interactions between aggregates. It is illustrated how such knowledge may significantly enhance the characterisation of colloidal suspensions. The final part of the book refers to the information, ideas and concepts already presented in order to address technical aspects of the preparation of colloidal suspensions-in particular the performance of relevant dispersion techniques and the stability of colloidal suspensions.

This book covers the essential topics for a second-level course in strength of materials or mechanics of materials, with an emphasis on techniques that are useful for mechanical design. Design typically involves an initial conceptual stage during which many options are considered. At this stage, quick approximate analytical methods are crucial in determining which of the initial proposals are feasible. The ideal would be to get within 30% with a few lines of calculation. The designer also needs to develop experience as to the kinds of features in the geometry or the loading that are most likely to lead to critical conditions.

With this in mind, the author tries wherever possible to give a physical and even an intuitive interpretation to the problems under investigation. For example, students are encouraged to estimate the location of weak and strong bending axes and the resulting neutral axis of bending before performing calculations, and the author discusses ways of getting good accuracy with a simple one degree of freedom Rayleigh-Ritz approximation. Students are also encouraged to develop a feeling for structural deformation by performing simple experiments in their outside environment, such as estimating the radius to which an initially straight bar can be bent without producing permanent deformation, or convincing themselves of the dramatic difference between torsional and bending stiffness for a thin-walled open beam section by trying to bend and then twist a structural steel beam by hand-applied loads at one end.

In choosing dimensions for mechanical components, designers will expect to be guided by criteria of minimum weight, which with elementary calculations, generally leads to a thin-walled structure as an optimal solution. This consideration motivates the emphasis on thin-walled structures, but also demands that students be introduced to the limits imposed by structural instability. Emphasis is also placed on the effect of manufacturing errors on such highly-designed structures - for example, the effect of load misalignment on a beam with a large ratio between principal stiffness and the large magnification of initial alignment or loading errors in a strut below, but not too far below the buckling load.

Additional material can be found on http: //extras.springer.com/.
"

This book treats the derivation and implementation of a unified particle finite element formulation for the solution of fluid and solid mechanics, Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) and coupled thermal problems. FSI problems are involved in many engineering branches, from aeronautics to civil and biomedical engineering. The numerical method proposed in this book has been designed to deal with a large part of these. In particular, it is capable of simulating accurately free-surface fluids interacting with structures that may undergo large displacements, suffer from thermo-plastic deformations and even melt. The method accuracy has been successfully verified in several numerical examples. The thesis also contains the application of the proposed numerical strategy for the simulation of a real industrial problem. This thesis, defended at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya in 2015, was selected (ex aequo) as the best PhD thesis in numerical methods in Spain for the year 2015 by the Spanish Society of Numerical Methods in Engineering (SEMNI).

This book summarizes the actual state of the art and future trends of surface effects in solid mechanics. Surface effects are more and more important in the precise description of the behavior of advanced materials. One of the reasons for this is the well-known from the experiments fact that the mechanical properties are significantly influenced if the structural size is very small like, for example, nanostructures. In this book, various authors study the influence of surface effects in the elasticity, plasticity, viscoelasticity. In addition, the authors discuss all important different approaches to model such effects. These are based on various theoretical frameworks such as continuum theories or molecular modeling. The book also presents applications of the modeling approaches.

Piezoelectricity has been a steadily growing field, with recent advances made by researchers from applied physics, acoustics, materials science, and engineering. This collective work presents a comprehensive treatment of selected advanced topics in the subject. The book is written for an intermediate graduate level and is intended for researchers, mechanical engineers, and applied mathematicians interested in the advances and new applications in piezoelectricity.

This book describes principles, industry practices and evolutionary methodologies for advanced safety studies, which are helpful in effectively managing volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments within the framework of quantitative risk assessment and management and associated with the safety and resilience of structures and infrastructures with tolerance against various types of extreme conditions and accidents such as fires, explosions, collisions and grounding. It presents advanced computational models for characterizing structural actions and their effects in extreme and accidental conditions, which are highly nonlinear and non-Gaussian in association with multiple physical processes, multiple scales, and multiple criteria. Probabilistic scenario selection practices and applications are presented. Engineering practices for structural crashworthiness analysis in extreme conditions and accidents are described. Multidisciplinary approaches involving advanced computational models and large-scale physical model testing are emphasized. The book will be useful to students at a post-graduate level as well as researchers and practicing engineers.

The book includes different contributions that cover interdisciplinary research in the areas of * Error controlled numerical methods, efficient algorithms and software development * Elastic and in elastic deformation processes * Models with multiscales and multi-physics "High Performance" adaptive numerical methods using finite elements (FEM) and boundary elements (BEM) are described as well as efficient solvers for linear systems and corresponding software components for non-linear, coupled field equations of various branches of mechanics, electromagnetics, and geosciences.

This thesis focuses on the seismic response of piles in liquefiable ground. It describes the design of a three-dimensional, unified plasticity model for large post-liquefaction shear deformation of sand, formulated and implemented for parallel computing. It also presents a three-dimensional, dynamic finite element analysis method for piles in liquefiable ground, developed on the basis of this model,. Employing a combination of case analysis, centrifuge shaking table experiments and numerical simulations using the proposed methods, it demonstrates the seismic response patterns of single piles in liquefiable ground. These include basic force-resistance mode, kinematic and inertial interaction coupling mechanism and major influence factors. It also discusses a beam on the nonlinear Winkler foundation (BNWF) solution and a modified neutral plane solution developed and validated using centrifuge experiments for piles in consolidating and reconsolidating ground. Lastly, it studies axial pile force and settlement during post-earthquake reconsolidation, showing pile axial force to be irrelevant in the reconsolidation process, while settlement is process dependent.

Rapid growth of the mobile communication market has triggered extensive research on the bulk as well as surface acoustic wave devices in the last decade. Quite a few important results on the modeling and simulation of Film Bulk Acoustic Resonator (FBAR) and Layered SAW devices were reported recently. The other recent advance of acoustic waves in solids is the so-called phononic crystals or phononic band-gap materials. Analogous to the band-gap of light in photonic crystals, acoustic waves in periodic elastic structures also exhibit band-gap. Important applications of phononic band gap materials can potentially be found with creating a vibration free environment in microstructures, and design of advanced acoustic frequency filter, etc. In addition to the wave electronics and phononic crystals, to facilitate the emerging needs in the quantitative nondestructive evaluation of materials, waves in anisotropic solids and/or electro-, magneto- interaction problems also regained much attention recently. Topics treated include: Waves in piezoelectric crystals; Simulation of advanced BAW and SAW devices; Analysis of band gaps in phononic structures; Experimental investigation of phononic structures; Waves in multilayered media;Waves in anisotropic solids and/or electro-, magneto- interaction problems.

Since the original publication of Noncontact Atomic Force Microscopy in 2002, the noncontact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM) has achieved remarkable progress. This second treatment deals with the following outstanding recent results obtained with atomic resolution since then: force spectroscopy and mapping with atomic resolution; tuning fork; atomic manipulation; magnetic exchange force microscopy; atomic and molecular imaging in liquids; and other new technologies. These results and technologies are now helping evolve NC-AFM toward practical tools for characterization and manipulation of individual atoms/molecules and nanostructures with atomic/subatomic resolution. Therefore, the book exemplifies how NC-AFM has become a crucial tool for the expanding fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Written for: Scientists, practitioners, graduate students

F. dell'Isola, L. Placidi: Variational principles are a powerful tool also for formulating field theories. - F. dell'Isola, P. Seppecher, A. Madeo: Beyond Euler-Cauchy Continua. The structure of contact actions in N-th gradient generalized continua: a generalization of the Cauchy tetrahedron argument. - B. Bourdin, G.A. Francfort: Fracture. - S. Gavrilyuk: Multiphase flow modeling via Hamilton's principle. - V. L. Berdichevsky: Introduction to stochastic variational problems. - A. Carcaterra: New concepts in damping generation and control: theoretical formulation and industrial applications. - F. dell'Isola, P. Seppecher, A. Madeo: Fluid shock wave generation at solid-material discontinuity surfaces in porous media.

Variational methods give an efficient and elegant way to formulate and solve mathematical problems that are of interest to scientists and engineers. In this book three fundamental aspects of the variational formulation of mechanics will be presented: physical, mathematical and applicative ones.
The first aspect concerns the investigation of the nature of real physical problems with the aim of finding the best variational formulation suitable to those problems. The second aspect is the study of the well-posedeness of those mathematical problems which need to be solved in order to draw previsions from the formulated models. And the third aspect is related to the direct application of variational analysis to solve real engineering problems.

This textbook offers an introduction to modeling the mechanical behavior of solids within continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. To illustrate the fundamental principles, the book starts with an overview of the most important models in one dimension. Tensor calculus, which is called for in three-dimensional modeling, is concisely presented in the second part of the book. Once the reader is equipped with these essential mathematical tools, the third part of the book develops the foundations of continuum mechanics right from the beginning. Lastly, the book's fourth part focuses on modeling the mechanics of materials and in particular elasticity, viscoelasticity and plasticity. Intended as an introductory textbook for students and for professionals interested in self-study, it also features numerous worked-out examples to aid in understanding.

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 provides a comprehensive guide to analyzing and solving optimal design problems in continuous media by means of the so-called sub-relaxation method. Though the underlying ideas are borrowed from other, more classical approaches, here they are used and organized in a novel way, yielding a distinct perspective on how to approach this kind of optimization problems. Starting with a discussion of the background motivation, the book broadly explains the sub-relaxation method in general terms, helping readers to grasp, from the very beginning, the driving idea and where the text is heading. In addition to the analytical content of the method, it examines practical issues like optimality and numerical approximation. Though the primary focus is on the development of the method for the conductivity context, the book's final two chapters explore several extensions of the method to other problems, as well as formal proofs. The text can be used for a graduate course in optimal design, even if the method would require some familiarity with the main analytical issues associated with this type of problems. This can be addressed with the help of the provided bibliography.

This volume presents a collection of contributions on advanced approaches of continuum mechanics, which were written to celebrate the 60th birthday of Prof. Holm Altenbach. The contributions are on topics related to the theoretical foundations for the analysis of rods, shells and three-dimensional solids, formulation of constitutive models for advanced materials, as well as development of new approaches to the modeling of damage and fractures.

"The mathematical investigations referred to bring the whole apparatus of a great science to the examination of the properties of a given mechanism, and have accumulated in this direction rich material, of enduring and increasing value. What is left unexamined is however the other, immensely deeper part of the problem, the question: How did the mechanism, or the elements of which it is composed, originate? What laws govern its building up? Is it indeed formed according to any laws whatever? Or have we simply to accept as data what invention gives us, the analysis of what is thus obtained being the only scientific problem left - as in the case of natural history?" Reuleaux, F., Theoretische Kinematik, Braunschweig: Vieweg, 1875 Reuleaux, F., The Kinematics of Machinery, London: Macmillan, 1876 and New York: Dover, 1963 (translated by A.B.W. Kennedy) This book represents the second part of a larger work dedicated to the structural synthesis of parallel robots. Part 1 already published in 2008 (Gogu 2008a) has presented the methodology proposed for structural synthesis. This book focuses on various topologies of translational parallel robots systematically generated by using the structural synthesis approach proposed in Part 1. The originality of this work resides in the fact that it combines the new formulae for mobility connectivity, redundancy and overconstraints, and the evolutionary morphology in a unified approach of structural synthesis giving interesting innovative solutions for parallel mechanisms.

The major developments in the fields of fluid and solid mechanics are scattered throughout an array of technical journals, often making it difficult to find what the real advances are, especially for a researcher new to the field or an individual interested in discovering the state-of-the-art in connection with applications. The Advances in Applied Mechanics book series draws together recent significant advances in various topics in applied mechanics. Published since 1948, Advances in Applied Mechanics aims to provide authoritative review articles on topics in the mechanical sciences, primarily of interest to scientists and engineers working in the various branches of mechanics, but also of interest to the many who use the results of investigations in mechanics in various application areas such as aerospace, chemical, civil, environmental, mechanical and nuclear engineering. Advances in Applied Mechanics continues to be a publication of high visibility and impact. Review articles are provided by active, leading scientists in the field by invitation of the editors. Many of the articles published have become classics within their fields. Volume 42 in the series contains articles on coarse-graining in elasto-viscoplasticity, elasticity at nano-scale, and elestic and conductive properties of heterogeneous materials.
-Covers all fields of the mechanical sciences
-Highlights classical and modern areas of mechanics that are ready for review
-Provides comprehensive coverage of the field in question

This distinctive textbook aims to introduce readers to the basic structures of the mechanics of deformable bodies, with a special emphasis on the description of the elastic behavior of simple materials and structures composed by elastic beams. The authors take a deductive rather than inductive approach and start from a few first, foundational principles. A wide selection of exercises, many with hints and solutions, are provided throughout and organized in a way that will allow readers to form a link between abstract mathematical concepts and real-world applications. The text begins with the definition of bodies and deformations, keeping the kinematics of rigid bodies as a special case; the authors also distinguish between material and spatial metrics, defining each one in the pertinent space. Subsequent chapters cover observers and classes of possible changes; forces, torques, and related balances, which are derived from the invariance under classical changes in observers of the power of the external actions over a body, rather than postulated a priori; constitutive structures; variational principles in linear elasticity; the de Saint-Venant problem; yield criteria and a discussion of their role in the representation of material behavior; and an overview of some bifurcation phenomena, focusing on the Euler rod. An appendix on tensor algebra and tensor calculus is included for readers who need a brief refresher on these topics. Fundamentals of the Mechanics of Solids is primarily intended for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in various fields of engineering and applied mathematics. Prerequisites include basic courses in calculus, mathematical analysis, and classical mechanics.