The first Workshop on Mechanisms, Transmissions and Applications -- MeTrApp-2011 was organized by the Mechatronics Department at the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, "Politehnica" University of Timisoara, Romania, under the patronage of the IFToMM Technical Committees Linkages and Mechanical Controls and Micromachines. The workshop brought together researchers and students who work in disciplines associated with mechanisms science and offered a great opportunity for scientists from all over the world to present their achievements, exchange innovative ideas and create solid international links, setting the trend for future developments in this important and creative field. The topics treated in this volume are mechanisms and machine design, mechanical transmissions, mechatronic and biomechanic applications, computational and experimental methods, history of mechanism and machine science and teaching methods.

This book develops methods to simulate and analyze the time-dependent changes of stress and strain states in engineering structures up to the critical stage of creep rupture. The objective of this book is to review some of the classical and recently proposed approaches to the modeling of creep for structural analysis applications. It also aims to extend the collection of available solutions of creep problems by new, more sophisticated examples.

This book contains a selection of research papers presented at the 11th and 12th International Ship Stability Workshops (Wageningen, 2010 and Washington DC, 2011) and the 11th International Conference on Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles (Athens, 2012). The book is directed toward the ship stability community and presents innovative ideas concerning the understanding of the physical nature of stability failures and methodologies for assessing ship stability. Particular interest of the readership is expected in relation with appearance of new and unconventional types of ships; assessment of stability of these ships cannot rely on the existing experience and has to be based on the first principles. As the complexity of the physical processes responsible for stability failure have increasingly made time-domain numerical simulation the main tool for stability assessment, particular emphasis is made on the development an application of such tools. The included papers have been selected by the editorial committee and have gone through an additional review process, with at least two reviewers allocated for each. Many of the papers have been significantly updated or expanded from their original version, in order to best reflect the state of knowledge concerning stability at the time of the book's publication. The book consist of four parts: Mathematical Model of Ship Motions in Waves, Dynamics of Large Motions, Experimental Research and Requirements, Regulations and Operations.

Pumping Machinery Theory and Practice comprehensively covers the theoretical foundation and applications of pumping machinery. Key features: * Covers characteristics of centrifugal pumps, axial flow pumps and displacement pumps * Considers pumping machinery performance and operational-type problems * Covers advanced topics in pumping machinery including multiphase flow principles, and two and three-phase flow pumping systems * Covers different methods of flow rate control and relevance to machine efficiency and energy consumption * Covers different methods of flow rate control and relevance to machine efficiency and energy consumption

This book presents versatile, modern and creative applications of graph theory in mechanical engineering, robotics and computer networks. Topics related to mechanical engineering include e.g. machine and mechanism science, mechatronics, robotics, gearing and transmissions, design theory and production processes. The graphs treated are simple graphs, weighted and mixed graphs, bond graphs, Petri nets, logical trees etc. The authors represent several countries in Europe and America, and their contributions show how different, elegant, useful and fruitful the utilization of graphs in modelling of engineering systems can be.

The four year undergraduate course in Engineering is loaded with theoretical contents and the students hardly find enough time and opportunity to adequately grasp the physical and practical aspects of application of various engineering theories that are being taught. Therefore, certain practice-oriented knowledge inputs in these years may help them acquire and enhance proficiency in the industrial working systems and processes. This book attempts to provide certain practice-oriented knowledge inputs which may help young mechanical engineers who aspire to make a successful career in engineering goods manufacturing enterprises. The book seeks to provide a combination of Engineering and Production/Manufacturing Management aspects to enable young mechanical engineers to make a confident start at the workplace and eventually ascend to leading positions in the organization. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)

The Inclusion-Based Boundary Element Method (iBEM) is an innovative numerical method for the study of the multi-physical and mechanical behaviour of composite materials, linear elasticity, potential flow or Stokes fluid dynamics. It combines the basic ideas of Eshelby's Equivalent Inclusion Method (EIM) in classic micromechanics and the Boundary Element Method (BEM) in computational mechanics. The book starts by explaining the application and extension of the EIM from elastic problems to the Stokes fluid, and potential flow problems for a multiphase material system in the infinite domain. It also shows how switching the Green's function for infinite domain solutions to semi-infinite domain solutions allows this method to solve semi-infinite domain problems. A thorough examination of particle-particle interaction and particle-boundary interaction exposes the limitation of the classic micromechanics based on Eshelby's solution for one particle embedded in the infinite domain, and demonstrates the necessity to consider the particle interactions and boundary effects for a composite containing a fairly high volume fraction of the dispersed materials. Starting by covering the fundamentals required to understand the method and going on to describe everything needed to apply it to a variety of practical contexts, this book is the ideal guide to this innovative numerical method for students, researchers, and engineers.

"Dynamic Response of Linear Mechanical Systems: Modeling, Analysis and Simulation" can be utilized for a variety of courses, including junior and senior-level vibration and linear mechanical analysis courses. The author connects, by means of a rigorous, yet intuitive approach, the theory of vibration with the more general theory of systems. The book features:

A seven-step modeling technique that helps structure the rather unstructured process of mechanical-system modeling

A system-theoretic approach to deriving the time response of the linear mathematical models of mechanical systems

The modal analysis and the time response of two-degree-of-freedom systems-the first step on the long way to the more elaborate study of multi-degree-of-freedom systems-using the Mohr circle

Simple, yet powerful simulation algorithms that exploit the linearity of the system for both single- and multi-degree-of-freedom systems

Examples and exercises that rely on modern computational toolboxes for both numerical and symbolic computations as well as a Solutions Manual for instructors, with complete solutions of a sample of end-of-chapter exercises

Chapters 3 and 7, on simulation, include in each "Exercises" section a set of miniprojects that require code-writing to implement the algorithms developed in these chapters

Many important phenomena in fluid motion are evident in vortex flow, i.e., flows in which vortical structures are significant in determining the whole flow. This book, which consists of lectures given at a NATO ARW held in Grenoble (France) in June 1992, provides an up-to-date account of current research in the study of these phenomena by means of numerical methods and mathematical modelling. Such methods include Eulerian methods (finite difference, spectral and wavelet methods) as well as Lagrangian methods (contour dynamics, vortex methods) and are used to study such topics as 2- or 3-dimensional turbulence, vorticity generation by solid bodies, shear layers and vortex sheets, and vortex reconnection. For researchers and graduate students in computational fluid dynamics, numerical analysis, and applied mathematics.

This book highlights plasma science and technology-related research and development work at institutes and universities networked through Asian African Association for Plasma Training (AAAPT) which was established in 1988. The AAAPT, with 52 member institutes in 24 countries, promotes the initiation and intensification of plasma research and development through cooperation and technology sharing. With 13 chapters on fusion-relevant, laboratory and industrial plasmas for wide range of applications and basic research and a chapter on AAAPT network, it demonstrates how, with collaborations, high-quality, industrially relevant academic and scientific research on fusion, industrial and laboratory plasmas and plasma diagnostics can be successfully pursued in small research labs. These plasma sciences and technologies include pioneering breakthroughs and applications in (i) fusion relevant research in the quest for long-term, clean energy source development using high-temperature, high- density plasmas and (ii) multibillion-dollar, low-temperature, non-equilibrium and thermal industrial plasmas used in processing, synthesis and electronics.

A systematic control of mixture formation with modern high-pressure injection systems enables us to achieve considerable improvements of the combustion pr- ess in terms of reduced fuel consumption and engine-out raw emissions. However, because of the growing number of free parameters due to more flexible injection systems, variable valve trains, the application of different combustion concepts within different regions of the engine map, etc., the prediction of spray and m- ture formation becomes increasingly complex. For this reason, the optimization of the in-cylinder processes using 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) becomes increasingly important. In these CFD codes, the detailed modeling of spray and mixture formation is a prerequisite for the correct calculation of the subsequent processes like ignition, combustion and formation of emissions. Although such simulation tools can be viewed as standard tools today, the predictive quality of the sub-models is c- stantly enhanced by a more accurate and detailed modeling of the relevant pr- esses, and by the inclusion of new important mechanisms and effects that come along with the development of new injection systems and have not been cons- ered so far. In this book the most widely used mathematical models for the simulation of spray and mixture formation in 3D CFD calculations are described and discussed. In order to give the reader an introduction into the complex processes, the book starts with a description of the fundamental mechanisms and categories of fuel - jection, spray break-up, and mixture formation in internal combustion engines.

The International Conference on the Theory of Machines and Mechanisms is organized every four years, under the auspices of the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM) and the Czech Society for Mechanics. This eleventh edition of the conference took place at the Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic, 4-6 September 2012. This volume offers an international selection of the most important new results and developments, in 73 papers, grouped in seven different parts, representing a well-balanced overview, and spanning the general theory of machines and mechanisms, through analysis and synthesis of planar and spatial mechanisms, dynamics of machines and mechanisms, linkages and cams, computational mechanics, rotor dynamics, biomechanics, mechatronics, vibration and noise in machines, optimization of mechanisms and machines, control and monitoring systems of machines, accuracy and reliability of machines and mechanisms, robots and manipulators to the mechanisms of textile machines.

Shell structures are widely used in the fields of civil, mechanical, architectural, aeronautical, and marine engineering. Shell technology has been enhanced by the development of new materials and prefabrication schemes. Despite the mechanical advantages and aesthetic value offered by shell structures, many engineers and architects are relatively unacquinted with shell behaviour and design. This book familiarizes the engineering and architectural student, as well as the practicing engineer and architect, with the behaviour and design aspects of shell structures. Three aspects are presented: the Physical behaviour, the structural analysis, and the design of shells in a simple, integrated, and yet concise fashion. Thus, the book contains three major aspects of shell engineering: (1) physical understanding of shell behaviour; (2) use of applied shell theories; and (3) development of design methodologies together with shell design examples. The theoretical tools required for rational analysis of shells are kept at a modest level to give a sound grasp of the fundamentals of shell behaviour and, at the same time, an understanding of the related theory, allowing it to be applied to actual design problems. To achieve a physical understanding of complex shell behaviour, quantitative presentations are supplemented by qualitative discussions so that the reader can grasp the physical feeling' of shell behaviour. A number of analysis and detailed design examples are also worked out in various chapters, making the book a useful reference manual. This book can be used as a textbook and/or a reference book in undergraduate as well as graduate university courses in the fields of civil, mechanical, architectural, aeronautical, and materials engineering. It can also be used as a reference and design-analysis manual for the practicing engineers and architects. The text is supplemented by a number of appendices containing tables of shell analysis and design charts and tables.

This volume contains invited lectures and contributed papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Mathematical Modeling in Combustion and related topics, held in. Lyon (France), April 27 - 30, 1987. This conference was planned to fit in with the two-month visit of Professor G.S.S. Ludford to the Ecole Centrale de Lyon. He kindly agreed to chair the Scientific and Organizing Committee and actively helped to initiate the meeting. His death in December 1986 is an enormous loss to the scientific community in general, and in particular, to the people involved in the present enterprise. The subject of mathematical modeling in combustion is too large for a single conference, and the selection of topics re flects both areas of recent research activity and areas of in terest to Professor G.S.S. Ludford, to whose memory the Advanced Workshop and this present volume are dedicated. The meeting was divided into seven specialized sessions detonation theory, mathematical analysis, numerical treatment of combustion problems, flame theory, experimental and industrial aspects, complex chemistry, and turbulent combustion. It brought together researchers and engineers from University and Industry (see below the closing remarks of the workshop by Prof. N. Peters). The articles in this volume have been judged and accepted on their scientific quality, and language corrections may have been sacrificed in order to allow quick dissemination of knowledge to prevail."

Photovoltaics, the direct conversion of sunlight to electricity, is now the fastest growing technology for electricity generation. Present "first generation" products use the same silicon wafers as in microelectronics. "Second generation" thin-films, now entering the market, have the potential to greatly improve the economics by eliminating material costs. Martin Green, one of the worlds foremost photovoltaic researchers, argues in this book that "second generation" photovoltaics will eventually reach its own material cost constraints, engendering a "third generation" of high performance thin-films. The book explores, self-consistently, the energy conversion potential of advanced approaches for improving photovoltaic performance and outlines possible implementation paths.

This text is an advancement of the theory of vibration protection of mechanical systems with lumped and distributed parameters. The book offers various concepts and methods of solving vibration protection problems, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different methods, and the fields of their effective applications. Fundamental approaches of vibration protection, which are considered in this book, are the passive, parametric and optimal active vibration protection. The passive vibration protection is based on vibration isolation, vibration damping and dynamic absorbers. Parametric vibration protection theory is based on the Shchipanov-Luzin invariance principle. Optimal active vibration protection theory is based on the Pontryagin principle and the Krein moment method. The book also contains special topics such as suppression of vibrations at the source of their occurrence and the harmful influence of vibrations on humans.< Numerous examples, which illustrate the theoretical ideas of each chapter, are included. This book is intended for graduate students and engineers. It is assumed that a reader has working knowledge of theory of vibrations, differential equations, andcomplex analysis. About the Authors. Igor A Karnovsky, Ph.D., Dr. Sci., is a specialist in structural analysis, theory of vibration and optimal control of vibration. He has 40 years of experience in research, teaching and consulting in this field, and is the author of more than 70 published scientific papers, including two books in Structural Analysis (published with Springer in 2010-2012) and three handbooks in Structural Dynamics (published with McGraw Hill in 2001-2004). He also holds a number of vibration-control-related patents. Evgeniy Lebed, Ph.D., is a specialist in applied mathematics and engineering. He has 10 years of experience in research, teaching and consulting in this field. The main sphere of his research interests are qualitative theory of differential equations, integral transforms and frequency-domain analysis with application to image and signal processing. He is the author of 15 published scientific papers and a US patent (2015).

This book is a concise and readable introductory text on solid mechanics suitable for engineers, scientists and applied mathematicians. It presents the foundations of stress, strain and elasticity theory and consistently employs the use of vectors and (particularly) Cartesian tensor notation. The first chapter introduces vectors with particular emphasis being paid to applications which arise in later chapters. Chapter 2 introduces Cartesian tensors and describes some of their important applications. In particular, finite and infinitessimal rotations are examined as are isotropic tensors and second order symmetric tensors. The last topic of this chapter includes a full discussion on eigenvalues and eigenvectors. There are separate introductions, in Chapters 3 and 4, to stress and strain and to their practical measurement using, respectively, photoelastic methods and strain gauges. In Chapter 5 the concepts of stress and strain are brought together and, in conjunction with Newton's equilibrium equations, used to deduce the basic equations of linear elasticity theory. These fundamental equations are then examined and analyzed by obtaining simple exact solutions, including solutions which describe twisting, bending and stretching of beams. Chapter 6 introduces the fundamental concept of strain enegergy and uses this concept to derive the Kirchoff uniqueness theorem, Rayleigh's reciprocal theorem and the important Castigliano relations. The chapter concludes with a thorough treatment of the theorem of minimum potential energy and examines some of its applications. The final three chapters examine the application of the fundamental equations to the theory of torsion, to structural analysisand to the treatment of two dimensional elastostatics by analytical and approximate (finite element) methods.

This book contains results of more than a decade's effort on coupled deformation and diffusion obtained in research performed at the Institute of Fracture and Solid Mechanics, Lehigh University. Despite the overwhelming number of theories on this subject, little is known on the assessment of coupling effects because of the inherent difficulties associated with experimentation. A case in point is couple thermoelasticity, a theory that has remained virtually unused in practice. This is indicative of the inadequacy of conventional approaches. The interdependence of heat, moisture and deformation arises in many engineer ing problems of practical interest. Whether these effects are coupled or not depend on the transient character of the boundary conditions. Special attention is given to finding the coupling constants. Invoked is the assumption that the physical parameters should be independent of the specified boundary conditions. They can thus be extracted from known experimental data for situations where coupling effects are relatively weak and then applied to predict strong coupling effects as boundary conditions are altered. This is illustrated for the T300/5208 material commonly used in composites and permits a more reliable evaluation of material behaving under extreme environmental conditions. The lack of this knowledge can often be a major deterrent to the achievement of new technological advances. The reader will recognize that the material in this book does not follow the main stream of research on moisture-temperature diffusion and deformation."

Understanding how gears are formed and how they interact or mesh with each other is essential when designing equipment that uses gears or gear trains. The way in which gear teeth are formed and how they mesh is determined by their geometry and kinematics, which is the topic of this book. Gears and Gear Drives provides the reader with comprehensive coverage of gears and gear drives. Spur, helical, bevel, worm and planetary gears are all covered, with consideration given to their classification, geometry, kinematics, accuracy control, load capacity and manufacturing. Cylindrical gear geometry is the basis for dealing with any gear drives, so this is covered in detail. Key features: * Contains hundreds of 2D and 3D figures to illustrate all types of gears and gear drives, including planetary and worm gears * Includes fundamental derivations and explanations of formulae * Enables the reader to know how to carry out accuracy control and load capacity checks for any gear drive * Includes directions for the practical design of gears and gear drives * Covers DIN and ISO standards in the area Gears and Gear Drives is a comprehensive reference for gears and gear drive professionals and graduate students in mechanical engineering departments and covers everything important to know how to design, control and manufacture gear drives.

Like FEM, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) provides a general numerical tool for the solution of complex engineering problems. In the last decades, the range of its applications has remarkably been enlarged. Therefore dynamic and nonlinear problems can be tackled. However they still demand an explicit expression of a fundamental solution, which is only known in simple cases. In this respect, the present book proposes an alternative BEM-formulation based on the Fourier transform, which can be applied to almost all cases relevant in engineering mechanics. The basic principle is presented for the heat equation. Applications are taken from solid mechanics (e.g. poroelasticity, thermoelasticity). Transient and stationary examples are given as well as linear and nonlinear. Completed with a mathematical and mechanical glossary, the book will serve as a comprehensive text book linking applied mathematics to real world engineering problems.

Successfully classroom-tested at the graduate level, Linear Control Theory: Structure, Robustness, and Optimization covers three major areas of control engineering (PID control, robust control, and optimal control). It provides balanced coverage of elegant mathematical theory and useful engineering-oriented results.

The first part of the book develops results relating to the design of PID and first-order controllers for continuous and discrete-time linear systems with possible delays. The second section deals with the robust stability and performance of systems under parametric and unstructured uncertainty. This section describes several elegant and sharp results, such as Kharitonov's theorem and its extensions, the edge theorem, and the mapping theorem. Focusing on the optimal control of linear systems, the third part discusses the standard theories of the linear quadratic regulator, Hinfinity and l1 optimal control, and associated results.

Written by recognized leaders in the field, this book explains how control theory can be applied to the design of real-world systems. It shows that the techniques of three term controllers, along with the results on robust and optimal control, are invaluable to developing and solving research problems in many areas of engineering.