Advanced Control Engineering provides a complete course in control engineering for undergraduates of all technical disciplines. Starting with a basic overview of elementary control theory this text quickly moves on to a rigorous examination of more advanced and cutting edge date aspects such as robust and intelligent control, including neural networks and genetic algorithms.
With examples from aeronautical, marine and many other types of engineering, Roland Burns draws on his extensive teaching and practical experience presents the subject in an easily understood and applied manner. Control Engineering is a core subject in most technical areas.
Problems in each chapter, numerous illustrations and free Matlab files on the accompanying website are brought together to provide a valuable resource for the engineering student and lecturer alike.

Complete Course in Control Engineering
Real life case studies
Numerous problems

Testing of composite materials can present complex problems but is essential in order to ensure the reliable, safe and cost-effective performance of any engineering structure. This essentially practical book, complied from the contributions of leading professionals in the field, describes a wide range of test methods which can be applied to various types of advanced fibre composites. The book focuses on high modulus, high strength fibre/plastic composites and also covers highly anisotrpoic materials such as carbon, aramid and glass.
Engineers and designers specifying the use of materials in structures will find this book an invaluable guide to best practice throughout the range of industrial sectors where FRCs are employed.

Semiconductors and Modern Electronics is a brief introduction to the physics behind semiconductor technologies. Chuck Winrich explores the topic of semiconductors from a qualitative approach to understanding the theories and models used to explain semiconductor devices, which is intended to bring the advanced ideas behind semiconductors to a broader audience of students who will not major in physics. Applications of semiconductors are explored and understood through the models developed in the book. Much of the inspiration for this text comes from Winrich's experience teaching a general electronics course to students majoring in business. The goal of that class, and this work, is to bring forward the science behind semiconductors, and then to look at how that science affects the lives of people.

As it results from the very nature of things, the spherical symmetry of the surrounding of a site in a crystal lattice or an atom in a molecule can never occur. Therefore, the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of any bound ion or atom have to differ from those of spherically symmetric respective free ions. In this way, the most simplified concept of the crystal field effect or ligand field effect in the case of individual molecules can be introduced.
The conventional notion of the crystal field potential is narrowed to its non-spherical part only through ignoring the dominating spherical part which produces only a uniform energy shift of gravity centres of the free ion terms. It is well understood that the non-spherical part of the effective potential "seen" by open-shell electrons localized on a metal ion plays an essential role in most observed properties. Light adsorption, electron paramagnetic resonance, inelastic neutron scattering and basic characteristics derived from magnetic and thermal measurements, are only examples of a much wider class of experimental results dependent on it. The influence is discerned in all kinds of materials containing unpaired localized electrons: ionic crystals, semiconductors and metallic compounds including materials as intriguing as high-"Tc" superconductors, or heavy fermion systems. It is evident from the above that we deal with a widespread effect relative to all free ion terms except those which can stand the lowered symmetry, e.g. "S"-terms.
Despite the universality of the phenomenon, the available handbooks on solid state physics pay only marginal attention to it, merely making mention of its occurrence. Present understanding of the origins of the crystal field potential differs essentially from the pioneering electrostatic picture postulated in the twenties. The considerable development of the theory that has been put forward since then can be traced in many regular articles scattered throughout the literature. The last two decades have left their impression as well but, to the authors' best knowledge, this period has not been closed with a more extended review. This has also motivated us to compile the main achievements in the field in the form of a book.

Nanogels are three-dimensional nanosized networks that are formed by physically or chemically cross-linking polymers. They have been explored as a drug-delivery system due to their biocompatibility, high stability, particle-size adjustment, drug-loading capability and modification of the surface for active targeting by cognate receptors on the target cells of tissues. Nanogels can respond to stimuli such as pH, temperature, light and redox, which results in the controlled release of drugs and targeting of site by environmental stimuli and prevents accumulation in non-target tissues, minimizing the side effects of the drug. This book aims to provide a general introduction to nanogels and the design of various stimuli-sensitive nanogels that can control drug release in response to specific stimuli.

This volume examines recent developments in the use of intelligent materials and systems for drug delivery. Controlled release technology is moving from being a simple carrier of active agents to becoming a powerful and flexible method that permits subtle modulation of the delivery profile based on the needs of the biological host. The chapters collected here cover recent advances in materials with responsive properties, novel concepts in controlled release technology, new applications, and microanalytical techniques for rapid and accurate measurements of small samples.

This book contains the fully peer-reviewed papers presented at the Third Engineering Foundation Conference on Small Fatigue Cracks, held under the chairmanship of K.S. Ravichandran and Y. Murakami during December 6-11, 1998, at the Turtle Bay Hilton, Oahu, Hawaii. This book presents a state-of-the-art description of the mechanics, mechanisms and applications of small fatigue cracks by most of the world's leading experts in this field. Topics ranging from the mechanisms of crack initiation, small crack behavior in metallic, intermetallic, ceramic and composite materials, experimental measurement, mechanistic and theoretical models, to the role of small cracks in fretting fatigue and the application of small crack results to the aging aircraft and high-cycle fatigue problems, are covered.

The welding industry is in the process of change and under pressure. New processes and new materials are being introduced in the wake of increasingly tough competition.
In this book, Richard Boekholt, a senior welding consultant with vast experience and a uniquely international outlook, has compiled and summarised international practice within the field of welding developed from a European Union study 'Working Life 2000. The Welding Industry in Technological Change: a Human Resource Perspective'.
The book looks at the impact of automation and explains that, while some people may feel that the use of robotics and computers will threaten welders' jobs, in fact robots and computers will help welders, not replace them. At present welders are in demand and companies are faced with difficulties in recruiting and retaining good staff. It is through improved working conditions, which are presently often environmentally unsafe with workers exposed to smoke, noise, vibration and heavy physical labour, that companies can attract and keep workers.
The book emphasises the importance of managing human resources and looks at new ways of doing this. A recognition of the importance of managing human resources and looks at new ways of doing this. A recognition of the importance of training, of instructors as well as workers, will be essential to achieve the dedicated, motivated and flexible workforce necessary to work with the new technologies of the 21st century.

The purpose of this wide-ranging introductory text is to provide a basic understanding of the underlying science as well as the engineering applications of composite materials. It explains how composite materials, with their advantages of high strength with stiffness, together with low weight and other desirable properties are formed and discusses the nature of the different types of reinforcement and matrix - and their interaction. Methods of production, examples of typical applications and essential data are all included.
Composite materials: Engineering and science is based on a successful long running course at Imperial College, London, and the numerous worked examples combined with a comprehensive set of problems and self-assessment questions (with answers) provide an excellent text for senio undergraduate and graduate courses in materials science, engineering and physics. It will also be invaluable to any designer or professional engineer new to the composite materials field.
This is a reissue of a successful and well-regarded textbook originally published in 1994 by Chapman & Hall.

Based on the European Welding Engineer (EWF) syllabus Part 3 - Construction and Design, this book provides a clear, highly illustrated and concise explanation of how welded joints and structures are designed and of the constraints which welding may impose on the design. It is therefore of value both to the welding engineer and the design engineer
Many engineers coming into the profession of welding engineering lack a background in design and construction of welded structures and plant. This book has been written with such engineers very much in mind.
The safe performance of a structure relies on materials and methods of fabrication which can respond to the explicit or implicit design requirements. It is essential that the welding engineer has the opportunity of making his specialist input to the design process, and an understanding of the basis of the design will help that contribution to be most effective. It is also important that the practising design engineer acquires a basic knowledge of the relevant aspects of welding to be able to execute satisfactory designs and, equally important, to know when to seek the input of a qualified welding engineer.
Designed for both students and practising engineers in welding and design, the book will also be of great value to civil, structural, mechanical and plant engineers. There is also much that will interest test houses, welding equipment and consumable manufacturers, classification societies and steel companies.

Nanomaterials and nanostructures are the original product of nanotechnology, and they are the key building blocks for enabling technologies. In this context, this book presents a concise overview of the synthesis and characterization methods of nanomaterials and nanostructures, while integrating facets of physics, chemistry, and engineering. The book summarizes the fundamentals and technical approaches in synthesis, and processing of nanostructures and nanomaterials, giving the reader a systematic and quick picture of the field. The text focuses on functional aspects of nanomaterials that have a high relevance to immediate applications, such as catalysis, energy harvesting, biosensing, and surface functionalization. There are chapters addressing nanostructured materials and composites, and covering basic properties and requirements of this new class of engineered materials.

This book provides an introduction to topological matter, with a focus on insulating bulk systems. A number of prerequisite concepts and tools are first laid out, including the notion of symmetry transformations, the band theory of semiconductors and aspects of electronic transport. The main part of the book discusses realistic models for both time-reversal-preserving and -violating topological insulators, as well as their characteristic responses to external perturbations. Special emphasis is given to the study of the anomalous electric, thermal and thermoelectric transport properties, the theory of orbital magnetisation, and the polar Kerr effect. The topological models studied throughout this book become unified and generalised by means of the tenfold topological-classification framework and the respective systematic construction of topological invariants. This approach is further extended to topological superconductors and topological semimetals. This book covers a wide range of topics and aims for a transparent presentation of the technical aspects involved. For this purpose, homework problems are also provided in dedicated hands-on sections. Given its structure, and the required background level of the reader, this book is particularly recommended for graduate students or researchers who are new to the field.

The ESIS-Technical Committee 9 on Concrete was established in 1990 and has met seven times. A proposal was put to European and extra-European laboratories entitled "Scale effects and transitional failure phenomena of reinforced concrete beams in flexure" which lead to several positive responses.

The central topic discussed by the committee was that of the minimum reinforcement in concrete members. The minimum amount of reinforcement is defined as that for which "peak load at first concrete cracking" and "ultimate load after steel yielding" are equal. In this way, any brittle behaviour is avoided as well as any localized failure, if the member is not over-reinforced. In other words, there is a reinforcement percentage range, depending on the size-scale, within which the plastic limit analysis may be applied with its static and kinematic theorems.

Carpinteri, Ferro, Bosco and El-Katieb propose a LEFM model, according to which reinforcement reactions are applied directly on the crack surfaces and a compatibility condition is locally imposed on the crack opening displacement in correspondence with the reinforcement. The theoretical model is found to provide a satisfactory estimate of the minimum percentage of reinforcement that depends on the scale and enables the element in flexure to prevent brittle failure.

These proceedings contain the papers presented at the 4th International Symposium on Engineering Turbulence Modelling and Measurements held at Ajaccio, Corsica, France from 24-26 May 1999. It follows three previous conferences on the topic of engineering turbulence modelling and measurements.
The purpose of this series of symposia is to provide a forum for presenting and discussing new developments in the area of turbulence modelling and measurements, with particular emphasis on engineering-related problems.
Turbulence is still one of the key issues in tackling engineering flow problems. As powerful computers and accurate numerical methods are now available for solving the flow equations, and since engineering applications nearly always involve turbulence effects, the reliability of CFD analysis depends more and more on the performance of the turbulence models. Successful simulation of turbulence requires the understanding of the complex physical phenomena involved and suitable models for describing the turbulent momentum, heat and mass transfer. For the understanding of turbulence phenomena, experiments are indispensable, but they are equally important for providing data for the development and testing of turbulence models and hence for CFD software validation.

As plastics are being used more extensively in high-performance markets, it is imperative that designers and engineers understand all aspects of polymer behavior over an extended service life. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis for Plastics Engineering describes practical uses for DMA information. All of the information for 120 families of thermoplastics is based on independent test data conducted exclusively for this product and is not available through any other source. This PDL addition shows how to use the DMA data to predict, at various temperatures, each materials estimated service life and potential for failure. This book explains the correlation between time and temperature-dependence and illustrates how time-dependent responses such as creep and stress relaxation affect the practical utility of different materials. Basic polymer structures are discussed and test results show how these structural details can be detected and understood.

The sea is steadily rising, presently at 3.4 mm per year, and it is already costing billions in Venice, on the Thames river and in New York City, to counter sea-level-related surges. Experts anticipate an accelerated rise, and credible predictions for sea-level rise by the year 2100 range from 12 inches to above six feet. Study of the Earth's geologic history, through ice-core samples, links sea-level rise to temperature rise. Since the lifetime of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is measured in centuries, and it has upset the balance of incoming and outgoing energy, the Earth's temperature will continue to rise, even if carbon burning ceases. Engineering the Earth's solar input appears increasingly attractive and practical as a means to lower the Earth's temperature and, thus, to lower the sea level. The cost of engineering the climate appears small; comparable, even, to the already-incurred costs of sea-level rise represented by civil engineering projects in London, Venice and New York City. Feasible deployment of geoengineering, accompanied by some reduction in carbon burning, is predicted to lower the sea level by the order of one foot by 2100, which negates the expected rise and would provide an immense economic benefit. The accompanying lower global temperature would reduce the severity of extreme weather and restore habitability to lethally hot parts of the world.

The progress in device technologies are surveyed in this volume. Included are Si/ (Si-Ge) heterojunctions for high-speed integrated circuits. Schottky-barrier arrays in Si and Si-Ge alloys for infrared imaging, III-V quantum-well detector structures operated in the heterodyne mode for high-data-rate communications, and III-V heterostructures and quantum-wells for infrared transmissions.

While research on ultrasonics has been covered in earlier volumes of the Physical Acoustics series, Volumes 23 and 24 demonstrate the successful commercialization of devices and instruments arising from research in this area. These volumes will assist in the process of bringing research output into the marketplace to the benefit of customers.
The chapters are liberally illustrated with pictures of actual commercial objects which have been or are in use. Included are Medical Ultrasonic Diagnostics, Nondestructive Testing (NDT), Acoustic Emission, Process Control, Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Devices, Frequency Control Devices, Research Instruments, Transducers, and Ultrasonic Microscopes. Also contained in the text are six essays covering technology transfer and commercialization.

This book examines the physical testing of textiles in the form of fibre, yarn and fabric, the emphasis throughout eing on standard and reproducible tests. After an introductory explanation of sampling and measurement, the author explores the effects of moisture on textiles, then goes on to discuss fibre dimension, yarn tests for linear density, twist, evenness and hairiness, tensile strength, and dimensional stability and serviceability. Also covered are aspects of comfort and fabric handle, colour fastness and quality assurance. The book's comprehensive coverage of the physical properties of textiles makes it an essential reference for managers in the textiles industry concerned with quality assurance, garment and fabric technologists, and students of textile science and engineering.

Engineers need to be familiar with the fundamental principles and concepts in materials and structures in order to be able to design structurers to resist failures. For 4 decades, this book has provided engineers with these fundamentals.

Thoroughly updated, the book has been expanded to cover everything on materials and structures that engineering students are likely to need. Starting with basic mechanics, the book goes on to cover modern numerical techniques such as matrix and finite element methods. There is also additional material on composite materials, thick shells, flat plates and the vibrations of complex structures. Illustrated throughout with worked examples, the book also provides numerous problems for students to attempt.
New edition introducing modern numerical techniques, such as matrix and finite element methods
Covers requirements for an engineering undergraduate course on strength of materials and structures

Over the last several years, the four authors have jointly conducted research into the analysis of vibrating Mindlin plates as a collaborative project between Nanyang Technological University, The National University of Singapore, and The University of Queensland. The research was prompted by the fact that there is a dearth of vibration results for Mindlin plates when compared to classical thin plate solutions. To generate the vibration results, the authors have successfully employed the Ritz method for general plate shapes and boundary conditions. The Ritz method, once thought to be awkward for general plate analysis, can be automated through suitable trial functions (for displacements) that satisfy the geometric plate boundary conditions "a priori." This work has been well-received by academics and researchers, as indicated by the continual requests for the authors' papers and the Ritz software codes. This monograph is written with the view to share this so-called "p"-Ritz method for the vibration analysis of Mindlin plates and its software codes with the research community. To the authors' knowledge, the monograph contains the first published Ritz plate software codes of its kind.

While research on ultrasonics has been covered in earlier volumes of the Physical Acoustics series, Volumes 23 and 24 demonstrate the successful commercialization of devices and instruments arising from research in this area. These volumes will assist in the process of bringing research output into the marketplace to the benefit of customers.
The chapters are liberally illustrated with pictures of actual commercial objects which have been or are in use. Included are Medical Ultrasonic Diagnostics, Nondestructive Testing (NDT), Acoustic Emission, Process Control, Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Devices, Frequency Control Devices, Research Instruments, Transducers, and Ultrasonic Microscopes. Also contained in the text are six essays covering technology transfer and commercialization.

Mechatronics, a synergistic combination of mechanical, electronic and computing engineering technologies, is a truly multidisciplinary approach to engineering. New products based on mechatronic principles are demonstrating reduced mechanical complexity, increased performance and often previously impossible capabilities. This book contains the papers presented at the UK Mechatronics Forum's 6th International Conference, held in Skovde, Sweden, in September 1998. Many of these high-quality papers illustrate the tremendous influence of mechatronics on such areas as manufacturing machinery, automotive engineering, textiles manufacture, robotics, and real-time control and vision systems. There are also papers describing developments in sensors, actuators, control and data processing techniques, such as fuzzy logic and neural networks, all of which have practical application to mechatronic systems.

Devising optimal strategy for maintaining industrial plant can be a difficult task of daunting complexity. This book aims to provide the plant engineer with a comprehensive and systematic approach, a framework of guidelines, for tackling this problem, i.e. for deciding maintenance objectives, formulating equipment life plans and plant maintenance schedules, designing the maintenance organisation and setting up appropriate systems of documentation and control.
The author, Anthony Kelly, an experienced international consultant and lecturer on this subject, calls his approach BUSINESS-CENTRED MAINTENANCE (BCM) because it springs from, and is driven by, the identification of business objectives, which are then translated into maintenance objectives and which underpin the maintenance strategy formulation. For the first time maintenance management is analysed from the perspective of the whole company and thus makes sense not only technologically but also in economic and business terms.
Complete guide to maintenance from a whole-company perspective
Best-selling and world-renowned author
Complementary to RCM (Moubray) & TPM (Wilmott)

This book is a companion text to Active Control of Sound by P.A. Nelson and S.J. Elliott, also published by Academic Press.
It summarizes the principles underlying active vibration control and its practical applications by combining material from vibrations, mechanics, signal processing, acoustics, and control theory. The emphasis of the book is on the active control of waves in structures, the active isolation of vibrations, the use of distributed strain actuators and sensors, and the active control of structurally radiated sound. The feedforward control of deterministic disturbances, the active control of structural waves and the active isolation of vibrations are covered in detail, as well as the more conventional work on modal feedback. The principles of the transducers used as actuateors and sensors for such control strategies are also given an in-depth description.
The reader will find particularly interesting the two chapters on the active control of sound radiation from structures: active structural acoustic control. The reason for controlling high frequency vibration is often to prevent sound radiation, and the principles and practical application of such techniques are presented here for both plates and cylinders. The volume is written in textbook style and is aimed at students, practicing engineers, and researchers.
* Combines material from vibrations, signal processing, mechanics, and controls
* Summarizes new research in the field