This master's thesis presents a novel approach to finding trajectories with minimal end time for kinematically redundant manipulators. Emphasis is given to a general applicability of the developed method to industrial tasks such as gluing or welding. Minimum-time trajectories may yield economic advantages as a shorter trajectory duration results in a lower task cycle time. Whereas kinematically redundant manipulators possess increased dexterity, compared to conventional non-redundant manipulators, their inverse kinematics is not unique and requires further treatment. In this work a joint space decomposition approach is introduced that takes advantage of the closed form inverse kinematics solution of non-redundant robots. Kinematic redundancy can be fully exploited to achieve minimum-time trajectories for prescribed end-effector paths.

This book is the offspring of a summer school school "Macroscopic and large scale phenomena: coarse graining, mean field limits and ergodicity", which was held in 2012 at the University of Twente, the Netherlands. The focus lies on mathematically rigorous methods for multiscale problems of physical origins. Each of the four book chapters is based on a set of lectures delivered at the school, yet all authors have expanded and refined their contributions. Francois Golse delivers a chapter on the dynamics of large particle systems in the mean field limit and surveys the most significant tools and methods to establish such limits with mathematical rigor. Golse discusses in depth a variety of examples, including Vlasov--Poisson and Vlasov--Maxwell systems. Lucia Scardia focuses on the rigorous derivation of macroscopic models using $\Gamma$-convergence, a more recent variational method, which has proved very powerful for problems in material science. Scardia illustrates this by various basic examples and a more advanced case study from dislocation theory. Alexander Mielke's contribution focuses on the multiscale modeling and rigorous analysis of generalized gradient systems through the new concept of evolutionary $\Gamma$-convergence. Numerous evocative examples are given, e.g., relating to periodic homogenization and the passage from viscous to dry friction. Martin Goell and Evgeny Verbitskiy conclude this volume, taking a dynamical systems and ergodic theory viewpoint. They review recent developments in the study of homoclinic points for certain discrete dynamical systems, relating to particle systems via ergodic properties of lattices configurations.

This book is intended to help researchers overcome the entrance barrier to Proper Generalized Decomposition (PGD), by providing a valuable tool to begin the programming task. Detailed Matlab Codes are included for every chapter in the book, in which the theory previously described is translated into practice. Examples include parametric problems, non-linear model order reduction and real-time simulation, among others. Proper Generalized Decomposition (PGD) is a method for numerical simulation in many fields of applied science and engineering. As a generalization of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition or Principal Component Analysis to an arbitrary number of dimensions, PGD is able to provide the analyst with very accurate solutions for problems defined in high dimensional spaces, parametric problems and even real-time simulation.

"Ceramic Materials: Science and Engineering" is an up-to-date treatment of ceramic science, engineering, and applications in a single, comprehensive text. Building on a foundation of crystal structures, phase equilibria, defects, and the mechanical properties of ceramic materials, students are shown how these materials are processed for a wide diversity of applications in today's society. Concepts such as how and why ions move, how ceramics interact with light and magnetic fields, and how they respond to temperature changes are discussed in the context of their applications. References to the art and history of ceramics are included throughout the text, and a chapter is devoted to ceramics as gemstones. This course-tested text now includes expanded chapters on the role of ceramicsin industry and their impact on the environment as well asa chapter devoted to applications of ceramic materials in clean energy technologies. Also new are expanded sets of text-specific homework problems and other resources for instructors. The revised and updated Second Editionis further enhanced with color illustrations throughout the text."

Within the scope of this work, Steffen Ropers evaluates the viscoelastic and temperature-dependent nature of the bending behavior of thermoplastic composite sheets in order to further enhance the predictability of the draping simulation. This simulation is a useful tool for the development of robust large scale processes for continuously fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP). The bending behavior thereby largely influences the size and position of wrinkles, which are one of the most common processing defects for continuously fiber-reinforced parts. Thus, a better understanding of the bending behavior of thermoplastic composite sheets as well as an appropriate testing method along with corresponding material models contribute to a wide-spread application of CFRPs in large scale production.

The book presents up-to-date and unifying formulations for treating dynamics of different types of mechanical systems with variable mass. The starting point is overview of the continuum mechanics relations of balance and jump for open systems from which extended Lagrange and Hamiltonian formulations are derived. Corresponding approaches are stated at the level of analytical mechanics with emphasis on systems with a position-dependent mass and at the level of structural mechanics. Special emphasis is laid upon axially moving structures like belts and chains and on pipes with an axial flow of fluid. Constitutive relations in the dynamics of systems with variable mass are studied with particular reference to modeling of multi-component mixtures. The dynamics of machines with a variable mass are treated in detail and conservation laws and the stability of motion will be analyzed. Novel finite element formulations for open systems in coupled fluid and structural dynamics are presented.

This book, the first published in this new sub-field of materials science, presents a coherent picture of the design principles and resulting properties of self-healing materials over all material classes, and offsets them to the current design principles for structural materials with improved mechanical properties. The book is not only a valuable asset for professional materials scientists but it is also suitable as a text book for courses at MSc level.

This encyclopedia presents an all-embracing collection of analytical surface classes. It provides concise definitions and description for more than 500 surfaces and categorizes them in 38 classes of analytical surfaces. All classes are cross references to the original literature in an excellent bibliography. The encyclopedia is of particular interest to structural and civil engineers and serves as valuable reference for mathematicians.

This book lays down the foundation on the mechanics and design of auxetic solids and structures, solids that possess negative Poisson's ratio. It will benefit two groups of readers: (a) industry practitioners, such as product and structural designers, who need to control mechanical stress distributions using auxetic materials, and (b) academic researchers and students who intend to produce unique mechanical and other physical properties of structures using auxetic materials.

This revised third edition of Rheology of Fluid, Semisolid, and Solid Foods includes the following important additions: * A section on microstructure * Discussion of the quantitative characterization of nanometer-scale milk protein fibrils in terms of persistence and contour length. * A phase diagram of a colloidal glass of hard spheres and its relationship to milk protein dispersions * Microrheology, including detailed descriptions of single particle and multi-particle microrheological measurements * Diffusive Wave Spectroscopy * Correlation of Bostwick consistometer data with property-based dimensionless groups * A section on the effect of calcium on the morphology and functionality of whey protein nanometer-scale fibrils * Discussion of how tribology and rheology can be used for the sensory perception of foods

Providing a comprehensive and invaluable overview of the basics of crystallographic textures and their industrial applications, this book covers a broad range of both structural and functional materials. It introduces the existing methods of representation in an accessible manner and presents a thorough overview of existing knowledge on texture of metallic materials. Texture analysis has widespread use in many industries, and provides crucial input towards the development of new materials and products. There has been rapid growth in the science and art of  texture analysis in the last few decades. Other topics addressed within this book include recent research on texture in thin films and non-metals, and the dependence of material properties on texture, and texture control in some engineering materials. This book constitutes an invaluable reference text for researchers and professionals working on texture analysis in metallurgy, materials science and engineering, physics and geology. By using content selectively, it is also highly accessible to undergraduate students.

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.

This book summarizes the main methods of experimental stress analysis and examines their application to various states of stress of major technical interest, highlighting aspects not always covered in the classic literature. It is explained how experimental stress analysis assists in the verification and completion of analytical and numerical models, the development of phenomenological theories, the measurement and control of system parameters under operating conditions, and identification of causes of failure or malfunction. Cases addressed include measurement of the state of stress in models, measurement of actual loads on structures, verification of stress states in circumstances of complex numerical modeling, assessment of stress-related material damage, and reliability analysis of artifacts (e.g. prostheses) that interact with biological systems. The book will serve graduate students and professionals as a valuable tool for finding solutions when analytical solutions do not exist.

This book describes mathematical techniques for integral transforms in a detailed but concise manner. The techniques are subsequently applied to the standard partial differential equations, such as the Laplace equation, the wave equation and elasticity equations. Green’s functions for beams, plates and acoustic media are also shown, along with their mathematical derivations. The Cagniard-de Hoop method for double inversion is described in detail and 2D and 3D elastodynamic problems are treated in full. This new edition explains in detail how to introduce the branch cut for the multi-valued square root function. Further, an exact closed form Green’s function for torsional waves is presented, as well as an application technique of the complex integral, which includes the square root function and an application technique of the complex integral.

Computational kinematics is an enthralling area of science with a rich spectrum of problems at the junction of mechanics, robotics, computer science, mathematics, and computer graphics. The covered topics include design and optimization of cable-driven robots, analysis of parallel manipulators, motion planning, numerical methods for mechanism calibration and optimization, geometric approaches to mechanism analysis and design, synthesis of mechanisms, kinematical issues in biomechanics, construction of novel mechanical devices, as well as detection and treatment of singularities. The results should be of interest for practicing and research engineers as well as Ph.D. students from the fields of mechanical and electrical engineering, computer science, and computer graphics.

In this book, we shall consider the kinematics and dynamics of the flows of fluids exhibiting a yield stress. To highlight the principal characteristics of such fluids, the first chapter emphasizes the role played by the yield stress. Next, a careful description of the continuum mechanics behind the constitutive equations for incompressible and compressible viscoplastic fluids is given in Chapters 2-4. In Chapters 5 and 6 analytical solutions to several steady and unsteady flows of Bingham fluids are presented. The subsequent Chapters 7-10 are concerned with the development of variational principles and their numerical solutions, along with perturbation methods which play a significant role in numerical simulations.

Graph theory gained initial prominence in science and engineering through its strong links with matrix algebra and computer science. Moreover, the structure of the mathematics is well suited to that of engineering problems in analysis and design. The methods of analysis in this book employ matrix algebra, graph theory and meta-heuristic algorithms, which are ideally suited for modern computational mechanics. Efficient methods are presented that lead to highly sparse and banded structural matrices. The main features of the book include: application of graph theory for efficient analysis; extension of the force method to finite element analysis; application of meta-heuristic algorithms to ordering and decomposition (sparse matrix technology); efficient use of symmetry and regularity in the force method; and simultaneous analysis and design of structures.

This book focuses on the way in which the problem of the motion of bodies has been viewed and approached over the course of human history. It is not another traditional history of mechanics but rather aims to enable the reader to fully understand the deeper ideas that inspired men, first in attempting to understand the mechanisms of motion and then in formulating theories with predictive as well as explanatory value. Given this objective, certain parts of the history of mechanics are neglected, such as fluid mechanics, statics and astronomy after Newton. On the other hand, due attention is paid, for example, to the history of thermodynamics, which has its own particular point of view on motion. Inspired in part by historical epistemology, the book examines the various views and theories of a given historical period (synchronic analysis) and then makes comparisons between different periods (diachronic analysis). In each period, one or two of the most meaningful contributions are selected for particular attention, instead of presenting a long inventory of scientific achievements.

This comprehensive book offers a clear account of the theory and applications of advanced metal forming. It provides a detailed discussion of specific forming processes, such as deep drawing, rolling, bending extrusion and stamping. The author highlights recent developments of metal forming technologies and explains sound, new and powerful expert system techniques for solving advanced engineering problems in metal forming. In addition, the basics of expert systems, their importance and applications to metal forming processes, computer-aided analysis of metalworking processes, formability analysis, mathematical modeling and case studies of individual processes are presented.

Elastomers are found in many applications ranging from technology to daily life applications for example in tires, drive systems, sealings and print rollers. Dynamical operation conditions put extremely high demands on the performance and stability of these materials and their elastic and flow properties can be easily adjusted by simple manipulations on their elastic and viscous properties. However, the required service life suffers often from material damage as a result of wear processes such as abrasion and wear fatigue, mostly caused by crack formation and propagation. This book covers interdisciplinary research between physics, physical chemistry, material sciences and engineering of elastomers within the range from nanometres to millimetres and connects these aspects with the constitutive material properties. The different chapters describe reliable lifetime and durability predictions based on new fracture mechanical testing concepts and advanced material-theoretical methods which are finally implemented in the finite element method for structural simulations. The use of this approach allows a realistic description of complex geometrical and loading conditions which includes the peculiarities of the mechanical behaviour of elastomeric materials in detail. Furthermore, this approach demonstrates how multi-scale research concepts provide an ambitious interdisciplinary challenge at the interface between engineering and natural sciences. This book covers the interests of academic researchers, graduate students and professionals working in polymer science, rubber and tire technology and in materials science at the interface of academic and industrial research.

This book offers readers a snapshot of the progression of molecular modeling in the electronics industry and how molecular modeling is currently being used to understand materials to solve relevant issues in this field. The reader is introduced to the evolving role of molecular modeling, especially seen from the perspective of the IEEE community and modeling in electronics. This book also covers the aspects of molecular modeling needed to understand the relationship between structures and mechanical performance of materials. The authors also discuss the transitional topic of multiscale modeling and recent developments on the atomistic scale and current attempts to reach the submicron scale, as well as the role that quantum mechanics can play in performance prediction.

This book presents the complete formulation of a new advanced discretization meshless technique: the Natural Neighbour Radial Point Interpolation Method (NNRPIM). In addition, two of the most popular meshless methods, the EFGM and the RPIM, are fully presented. Being a truly meshless method, the major advantages of the NNRPIM over the FEM and other meshless methods, are the remeshing flexibility and the higher accuracy of the obtained variable field. Using the natural neighbour concept, the NNRPIM permits to determine organically the influence-domain, resembling the cellulae natural behaviour. This innovation permits the analysis of convex boundaries and extremely irregular meshes, which is an advantage in the biomechanical analysis, with no extra computational effort associated. This volume shows how to extend the NNRPIM to the bone tissue remodelling analysis, expecting to contribute with new numerical tools and strategies in order to permit a more efficient numerical biomechanical analysis.

This book deals in a modern manner with a family of named problems from an old and mature subject, classical elasticity. These problems are formulated over either a half or the whole of a linearly elastic and isotropic two- or three-dimensional space, subject to loads concentrated at points or lines. The discussion of each problem begins with a careful examination of the prevailing symmetries, and proceeds with inverting the canonical order, in that it moves from a search for balanced stress fields to the associated strain and displacement fields. The book, although slim, is fairly well self-contained; the only prerequisite is a reasonable familiarity with linear algebra (in particular, manipulation of vectors and tensors) and with the usual differential operators of mathematical physics (gradient, divergence, curl, and Laplacian); the few nonstandard notions are introduced with care. Support material for all parts of the book is found in the final Appendix.

Mathematical models of deformation of elastic plates are used by applied mathematicians and engineers in connection with a wide range of practical applications, from microchip production to the construction of skyscrapers and aircraft. This book employs two important analytic techniques to solve the fundamental boundary value problems for the theory of plates with transverse shear deformation, which offers a more complete picture of the physical process of bending than Kirchhoff's classical one. The first method transfers the ellipticity of the governing system to the boundary, leading to singular integral equations on the contour of the domain. These equations, established on the basis of the properties of suitable layer potentials, are then solved in spaces of smooth (Hoelder continuous and Hoelder continuously differentiable) functions. The second technique rewrites the differential system in terms of complex variables and fully integrates it, expressing the solution as a combination of complex analytic potentials. The last chapter develops a generalized Fourier series method closely connected with the structure of the system, which can be used to compute approximate solutions. The numerical results generated as an illustration for the interior Dirichlet problem are accompanied by remarks regarding the efficiency and accuracy of the procedure. The presentation of the material is detailed and self-contained, making Mathematical Methods for Elastic Plates accessible to researchers and graduate students with a basic knowledge of advanced calculus.

Conceived as a series of more or less autonomous essays, the present book critically exposes the initial developments of continuum thermo-mechanics in a post Newtonian period extending from the creative works of the Bernoullis to the First World war, i.e., roughly during first the “Age of reason� and next the “Birth of the modern world�. The emphasis is rightly placed on the original contributions from the “Continental� scientists (the Bernoulli family, Euler, d’Alembert, Lagrange, Cauchy, Piola, Duhamel, Neumann, Clebsch, Kirchhoff, Helmholtz, Saint-Venant, Boussinesq, the Cosserat brothers, Caratheodory) in competition with their British peers (Green, Kelvin, Stokes, Maxwell, Rayleigh, Love,..). It underlines the main breakthroughs as well as the secondary ones. It highlights the role of scientists who left essential prints in this history of scientific ideas. The book shows how the formidable developments that blossomed in the twentieth century (and perused in a previous book of the author in the same Springer Series: “Continuum Mechanics through the Twentieth Century�, Springer 2013) found rich compost in the constructive foundational achievements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The pre-WWI situation is well summarized by a thorough analysis of treatises (Appell, Hellinger) published at that time. English translations by the author of most critical texts in French or German are given to the benefit of the readers.