This book contains contributions from leading researchers in biomechanics, nanomechanics, tribology, contact mechanics, materials science and applications on various experimental techniques including atomic force microscopy (AFM) for studying soft, biomimetic and biological materials and objects. Biologists, physicists, researchers applying methods of contact mechanics and researchers testing materials using indentation techniques along with many other applied scientists will find this book a useful addition to their libraries. Moreover, several reviews in this book are written as introductions to several important and rather sophisticated research areas such as depth-sensing indentation, studying of biological cells by AFM probes, mechanics of adhesive contact and contact between viscoelastic (hereditary elastic) solids. The book containing new theoretical models, results of experimental studies and numerical simulations, along with reviews of above mentioned areas of contact mechanics in application to biological systems, would be beneficial for researchers in many areas of biology, medicine, engineering, mechanics and biomimetics.

This book contains papers contributed to the IUTAM Symposium on Transformation Problems in Composite and Active Materials which was held in Cairo, Egypt in March 1997. The chapters address uncoupled and coupled transformation problems in composite and smart materials and their structures. The book is organized into six sections covering the following subjects: inelastic behaviour of composite materials, shape memory effects, functionally graded materials, transformation problems in composite structures, adaptive structures, and elasticity issues. Although the field of composite materials has seen substantial development in the past two decades, new composite systems are continually being developed for various applications. Among such systems are metal, intermetallic, and superalloy matrix composites, carbon-carbon composites, and polymer matrix composites. The field of smart materials, on the other hand, is relatively new, but has also seen important developments recently. These two seemingly different fields have often been addressed in separate books, journals, and technical meetings. The present book realizes and addresses the similarities of the uncoupled and coupled transformation fields involved in both composite and smart materials. Outstanding researchers from the different groups active in mechanics of composite and smart materials have contributed papers which explore the common aspects of these materials and new directions in micromechanics research in both areas. Researchers active in the areas of mechanics of composite and smart materials will find this book very useful in addressing recent developments in these areas.

This book includes keynote presentations, invited speeches, and general session papers presented at the 7th International Symposium on Environmental Vibration and Transportation Geodynamics (formerly the International Symposium on Environmental Vibration), held from October 28 to 30, 2016 at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. It discusses topics such as the dynamic and cyclic behaviors of soils, dynamic interaction of vehicle and transportation infrastructure; traffic-induced structure and soil vibrations and wave propagation; soil-structure dynamic interaction problems in transportation; environmental vibration analysis and testing; vehicle, machine and human-induced vibrations; monitoring, evaluation and control of traffic induced vibrations; transportation foundation deformation and deterioration induced by vibration; structural safety and serviceability of railways, metros, roadways and bridges; and application of geosynthetics in transportation infrastructure. It is a valuable resource for government managers, scientific researchers, and engineering professionals engaged in the field of geotechnical and transportation engineering.

This book presents the practical aspects of mass measurements. Concepts of gravitational, inertial and conventional mass and details of the variation of acceleration of gravity are described. The Metric Convention and International Prototype Kilogram and BIPM standards are described. The effect of change of gravity on the indication of electronic balances is derived with respect of latitude, altitude and earth topography. The classification of weights by OIML is discussed. Maximum permissible errors in different categories of weights prescribed by national and international organizations are presented. Starting with the necessity of redefining the unit kilogram in terms of physical constants, various methods of defining the kilogram in terms of physical constants are described. The kilogram can be defined by Avogadro's constant, ion collection of some heavy elements, levitation, voltage and Watt Balance. The detection of very small mass of the order of zeptogram through Nanotechnolgy is also discussed. Latest recommendations of CIPM are given.

Within the Solid Mechanics Program at the Office of Naval Research (ONR), our primary mission is to establish a basic research program which addresses the funda mental issues in solid mechanics where a clear scientific understanding is lacking. Our approach involves first identifying the various scales at which material and structural response and failure occur. Within each level of behavior we address the basic mechanical phenomena for which a clear physical description is not available. ONR's program emphasizes experimental research to identify and quantify the interacting behavior and response mechanisms. Theoretical and computational approaches are developed to explain the details of the physical processes and to establish the technology necessary to control the thermomechanical behavior of materials and structures. Within the Department of Defense, it is a natural evolution that all new systems must generally operate in more demanding environments than the systems they replace. Thus, structural designers are pushed towards lighter weight, precision structures utilizing new materials. In such an environment, structural design mar gins simultaneously shrink and become more critical. Such trends make it essential that a well founded scientific base for the nondestructive detection and assessment of subcritical flaws in structural materials and structures exist. Within the ONR Solid Mechanics Program we are interested in both the identification of flaws and assessment of their degree of criticality."

This book deals with several types of multi-dimensional control problems in the face of data uncertainty for vector cases-multi-dimensional multi-objective control problem with uncertain objective functionals, uncertain constraint functionals, and uncertain objective as well as constraint functionals, uncertain multi-dimensional multi-objective control problem with semi-infinite constraints, uncertain dual multi-dimensional multi-objective variational control problem, and second-order PDE&PDI constrained robust optimization problem. The book provides the solution approaches-an exact l1 penalty function approach, modified objective approach, robust approach-in the simplest way to solve the recent developing optimization problems in the sense of uncertainty.

This book explores recent developments in theoretical research and mathematical modelling of real-world complex systems, organized in four parts. The first part of the book is devoted to the mathematical tools for the design and analysis in engineering and social science study cases. We discuss the periodic evolutions in nonlinear chemical processes, vibro-compact systems and their behaviour, different types of metal-semiconductor self-assembled samples, made of silver nanowires and zinc oxide nanorods. The second part of the book is devoted to mathematical description and modelling of the critical events, climate change and robust emergency scales. In three chapters, we consider a climate-economy model with endogenous carbon intensity and the behaviour of Tehran Stock Exchange market under international sanctions. The third part of the book is devoted to fractional dynamic and fractional control problems. We discuss the novel operational matrix technique for variable-order fractional optimal control problems, the nonlinear variable-order time fractional convection-diffusion equation with generalized polynomials The fourth part of the book concerns solvability and inverse problems in differential and integro-differential equations. The book facilitates a better understanding of the mechanisms and phenomena in nonlinear dynamics and develops the corresponding mathematical theory to apply nonlinear design to practical engineering. It can be read by mathematicians, physicists, complex systems scientists, IT specialists, civil engineers, data scientists and urban planners.

This book comprises select papers from the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Civil Engineering (ICETCE 2018). Latest research findings in different branches of civil engineering such as structural engineering, construction materials, geotechnical engineering, water resources engineering, environmental engineering, and transportation infrastructure are covered in this book. The book also gives an overview of emerging topics like smart materials and structures, green building technologies, and intelligent transportation system. The contents of this book will be beneficial for students, academicians, industrialists and researchers working in the field of civil engineering.

This edited volume summarizes research being pursued within the DFG Priority Programme 1748: "Reliable Simulation Methods in Solid Mechanics. Development of non-standard discretisation methods, mechanical and mathematical analysis", the aim of which was to develop novel discretisation methods based e.g. on mixed finite element methods, isogeometric approaches as well as discontinuous Galerkin formulations, including a sound mathematical analysis for geometrically as well as physically nonlinear problems. The Priority Programme has established an international framework for mechanical and applied mathematical research to pursue open challenges on an inter-disciplinary level. The compiled results can be understood as state of the art in the research field and show promising ways of further research in the respective areas. The book is intended for doctoral and post-doctoral students in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics and physics, as well as industrial researchers interested in the field.

Not many disciplines can c1aim the richness of creative ideas that make up the subject of analytical mechanics. This is not surprising since the beginnings of analyti cal mechanics mark also the beginnings of the theoretical treatment of other physical sciences, and contributors to analytical mechanics have been many, inc1uding the most brilliant mathematicians and theoreticians in the history of mankind. As the foundation for theoretical physics and the associated branches of the engineering sciences, an adequate command of analytical mechanics is an essential tool for any engineer, physicist, and mathematician active in dynamics. A fascinating dis cipline, analytical mechanics is not only indispensable for the solution of certain mechanics problems but also contributes so effectively towards a fundamental under standing of the subject of mechanics and its applications. In analytical mechanics the fundamental laws are expressed in terms of work done and energy exchanged. The extensive use of mathematics is a consequence of the fact that in analytical mechanics problems can be expressed by variational State ments, thus giving rise to the employment of variational methods. Further it can be shown that the independent variables may be either displacements or impulses, thus providing in principle the possibility of two complementary formulations, i.e. a dis placement formulation and an impulse formulation, for each problem. This duality is an important characteristic of mechanics problems and is given special emphasis in the present book."

This book presents various questions of continuum mechanical modeling in the context of experimental and numerical methods, in particular, multi-field problems that go beyond the standard models of continuum mechanics. In addition, it discusses dynamic problems and practical solutions in the field of numerical methods. It focuses on continuum mechanics, which is often overlooked in the traditional division of mechanics into statics, strength of materials and kinetics. The book is dedicated to Prof. Volker Ulbricht, who passed away on April 9, 2021.

This book reflects and expands on the current trend in the building industry to understand, simulate and ultimately design buildings by taking into consideration the interlinked elements and forces that act on them. This approach overcomes the traditional, exclusive focus on building tasks, while posing new challenges in all areas of the industry from material and structural to the urban scale. Contributions from invited experts, papers and case studies provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the field, as well as perspectives from related disciplines, such as computer science. The chapter authors were invited speakers at the 5th Symposium "Modelling Behaviour", which took place at the CITA in Copenhagen in September 2015.

This book presents interdisciplinary, cutting-edge and creative applications of graph theory and modeling in science, technology, architecture and art. Topics are divided into three parts: the first one examines mechanical problems related to gears, planetary gears and engineering installations; the second one explores graph-based methods applied to medical analyses as well as biological and chemical modeling; and the third part includes various topics e.g. drama analysis, aiding of design activities and network visualisation. The authors represent several countries in Europe and America, and their contributions show how different, useful and fruitful the utilization of graphs in modelling of engineering systems can be. The book has been designed to serve readers interested in the subject of graph modelling and those with expertise in related areas, as well as members of the worldwide community of graph modelers.

This book is mainly focused on the global impulsive synchronization of complex dynamical networks with different types of couplings, such as general state coupling, nonlinear state coupling, time-varying delay coupling, derivative state coupling, proportional delay coupling and distributed delay coupling. Studies on impulsive synchronization of complex dynamical networks have attracted engineers and scientists from various disciplines, such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mathematics, network science, system engineering. Pursuing a holistic approach, the book establishes a fundamental framework for this topic, while emphasizing the importance of network synchronization and the significant influence of impulsive control in the design and optimization of complex networks. The primary audience for the book would be the scholars and graduate students whose research topics including the network science, control theory, applied mathematics, system science and so on.

Modern Solid Mechanics considers phenomena at many levels, ranging from nano size at atomic scale through the continuum level at millimeter size to large structures at the tens of meter scale. The deformation and fracture behavior at these various scales are inextricably related to interdisciplinary methods derived from applied mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering mechanics. This book, in honor of James R. Rice, contains articles from his colleagues and former students that bring these sophisticated methods to bear on a wide range of problems. Articles discussing problems of deformation include topics of dislocation mechanics, second particle effects, plastic yield criterion on porous materials, hydrogen embrittlement, solid state sintering, nanophases at surfaces, adhesion and contact mechanics, diffuse instability in geomaterials, and percolation in metal deformation. In the fracture area, the topics include: elastic-plastic crack growth, dynamic fracture, stress intensity and J-integral analysis, stress-corrosion cracking, and fracture in single crystal, piezoelectric, composite and cementitious materials. The book will be a valuable resource for researchers in modern solid mechanics and can be used as reference or supplementary text in mechanical and civil engineering, applied mechanics, materials science, and engineering graduate courses on fracture mechanics, elasticity, plasticity, mechanics of materials or the application of solid mechanics to processing, and reliability of life predictions.

"Symmetries and Semi-invariants in the Analysis of Nonlinear Systems" details the analysis of continuous- and discrete-time dynamical systems described by differential and difference equations respectively. Differential geometry provides the essential tools for the analysis, tools such as first-integrals or orbital symmetries, together with normal forms of vector fields and of maps. The use of such tools allows the solution of some important problems, studied in detail in the text, which includelinearization by state immersionand the computation of nonlinear superposition formulae for nonlinear systems described by solvable Lie algebras.

The theory is developed for general nonlinear systems and, in view of their importance for modeling physical systems, specialized for the class of Hamiltonian systems. By using the strong geometric structure of Hamiltonian systems, the results proposed are stated in a quite different, less complex and more easily comprehensible manner. Throughout the text the results are illustrated by many examples, some of them being physically motivated systems, so that the reader can appreciate how much insight is gained by means of these techniques. Various control systems applications of the techniques are characterized including:

. computation of the flow of nonlinear systems;

. computation of semi-invariants;

. computation of Lyapunov functions for stability analysis.

"Symmetries and Semi-invariants in the Analysis of Nonlinear Systems" will be of interest to researchers and graduate students studying control theory, particularly with respect to nonlinear systems. All the necessary background and mathematical derivations are related in detail but in a simple writing style that makes the book accessible in depth to readers having a standard knowledge of real analysis, linear algebra and systems theory. "

This book presents a novel continuum finite deformation framework addressing the complex interactions among electrostatics, species transport, and mechanics in solid networks immersed in a fluid phase of solvent and ions. Grounded on cutting-edge multiphysics theories for soft active materials, the proposed model is primarily applied to ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs). First, the influence of shear deformation on the IPMC response is analyzed through semi-analytical solutions obtained via the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Second, the novel electrochemo-poromechanical theory is used to predict the curvature relaxation and electric discharge that are observed in IPMC actuation and sensing, respectively, under a sustained stimulus. This newly formulated theory is, in turn, applied to biological cell clusters. Here, important mechanical considerations are integrated into classical bioelectrical models, thus offering novel insights into the interplay of mechanical and electrical signaling in the coordination of developmental processes.

This monograph details spatial and material vistas on non-linear continuum mechanics in a dissipation-consistent approach. Thereby, the spatial vista renders the common approach to nonlinear continuum mechanics and corresponding spatial forces, whereas the material vista elaborates on configurational mechanics and corresponding material or rather configurational forces. Fundamental to configurational mechanics is the concept of force. In analytical mechanics, force is a derived object that is power conjugate to changes of generalised coordinates. For a continuum body, these are typically the spatial positions of its continuum points. However, if in agreement with the second law, continuum points, e.g. on the boundary, may also change their material positions. Configurational forces are then power conjugate to these configurational changes. A paradigm is a crack tip, i.e. a singular part of the boundary changing its position during crack propagation, with the related configurational force, typically the J-integral, driving its evolution, thereby consuming power, typically expressed as the energy release rate. Taken together, configurational mechanics is an unconventional branch of continuum physics rationalising and unifying the tendency of a continuum body to change its material configuration. It is thus the ideal formulation to tackle sophisticated problems in continuum defect mechanics. Configurational mechanics is entirely free of restrictions regarding geometrical and constitutive nonlinearities and offers an accompanying versatile computational approach to continuum defect mechanics. In this monograph, I present a detailed summary account of my approach towards configurational mechanics, thereby fostering my view that configurational forces are indeed dissipation-consistent to configurational changes.

This book systematically introduces readers to computational granular mechanics and its relative engineering applications. Part I describes the fundamentals, such as the generation of irregular particle shapes, contact models, macro-micro theory, DEM-FEM coupling, and solid-fluid coupling of granular materials. It also discusses the theory behind various numerical methods developed in recent years. Further, it provides the GPU-based parallel algorithm to guide the programming of DEM and examines commercial and open-source codes and software for the analysis of granular materials. Part II focuses on engineering applications, including the latest advances in sea-ice engineering, railway ballast dynamics, and lunar landers. It also presents a rational method of parameter calibration and thorough analyses of DEM simulations, which illustrate the capabilities of DEM. The computational mechanics method for granular materials can be applied widely in various engineering fields, such as rock and soil mechanics, ocean engineering and chemical process engineering.

The book covers a wide range of applied research compactly presented in one volume, and shows innovative engineering solutions for automotive, marine and aviation industries, as well as power generation. While targeting primarily the audience of professional scientists and engineers, the book can also be useful for graduate students, and also for all those who are relatively new to the area and are looking for a single source with a good overview of the state-of-the-art as well as an up-to-date information on theories, numerical methods, and their application in design, simulation, testing, and manufacturing. The readers will find here a rich mixture of approaches, software tools and case studies used to investigate and optimize diverse powertrains, their functional units and separate machine parts based on different physical phenomena, their mathematical representation, solution algorithms, and experimental validation.

The book focuses on the nonlinear dynamics based on the vector fields with bivariate quadratic functions. This book is a unique monograph for two-dimensional quadratic nonlinear systems based on bivariate vector fields. Such a book provides different points of view about nonlinear dynamics and bifurcations of the quadratic dynamical systems on linear and nonlinear bivariate manifolds. Possible singular dynamics of the two-dimensional quadratic systems is discussed in detail. The dynamics of equilibriums and one-dimensional flows on bivariate manifolds are presented. Saddle-focus bifurcations are discussed, and switching bifurcations based on infinite-equilibriums are presented. Saddle-focus networks on bivariate manifolds are demonstrated. This book will serve as a reference book on dynamical systems and control for researchers, students and engineering in mathematics, mechanical and electrical engineering.

The mathematical theory of contact mechanics is a growing field in engineering and scientific computing. This book is intended as a unified and readily accessible source for mathematicians, applied mathematicians, mechanicians, engineers and scientists, as well as advanced students. The first part describes models of the processes involved like friction, heat generation and thermal effects, wear, adhesion and damage. The second part presents many mathematical models of practical interest and demonstrates the close interaction and cross-fertilization between contact mechanics and the theory of variational inequalities. The last part reviews further results, gives many references to current research and discusses open problems and future developments. The book can be read by mechanical engineers interested in applications. In addition, some theorems and their proofs are given as examples for the mathematical tools used in the models.

This book introduces readers to the theory, design and applications of automotive transmissions. It covers multiple categories, e.g. AT, AMT, CVT, DCT and transmissions for electric vehicles, each of which has its own configuration and characteristics. In turn, the book addresses the effective design of transmission gear ratios, structures and control strategies, and other topics that will be of particular interest to graduate students, researchers and engineers. Moreover, it includes real-world solutions, simulation methods and testing procedures. Based on the author's extensive first-hand experience in the field, the book allows readers to gain a deeper understanding of vehicle transmissions.

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 contains an elastic-plastic analysis of accumulate damage and fracture with practical applications with engineering materials and structure fatigue life estimations. Models as well as practical applications are presented, which makes the book interesting for both practitioners and theoretical researchers. Particular emphasis is laid on new approaches to the mixed-mode problem in fatigue and fracture, and especially to the fracture damage zone (FDZ) approach. The results of the demonstrated experimental and theoretical research lead to the presentation of different crack growth models, predicting the crack growth rate and, fatigue life of an initially angled crack under biaxial loads of arbitrary direction. Special attention is paid to the practical applications of the suggested models.