This book contains the papers of the European Conference on Mechanisms Science (EUCOMES 2012 Conference). The book presents the most recent research developments in the mechanism and machine science field and their applications.

Topics addressed are theoretical kinematics, computational kinematics, mechanism design, experimental mechanics, mechanics of robots, dynamics of machinery, dynamics of multi-body systems, control issues of mechanical systems, mechanisms for biomechanics, novel designs, mechanical transmissions, linkages and manipulators, micro-mechanisms, teaching methods, history of mechanism science and industrial and non-industrial applications.

Thisvolumewill also serve as an interestingreference for the European activity in the fields of Mechanism and Machine Science as well as a source of inspirations for future works and developments."

This monograph examines the stability of various coupled systems with local Kelvin-Voigt damping. The development of this area is thoroughly reviewed along with the authors' contributions. New results are featured on the fundamental properties of solutions of linear transmission evolution PDEs involving Kelvin-Voigt damping, with special emphasis on the asymptotic behavior of these solutions. The vibrations of transmission problems are highlighted as well, making this a valuable resource for those studying this active area of research. The book begins with a brief description of the abstract theory of linear evolution equations with a particular focus on semigroup theory. Different types of stability are also introduced along with their connection to resolvent estimates. After this foundation is established, different models are presented for uni-dimensional and multi-dimensional linear transmission evolution partial differential equations with Kelvin-Voigt damping. Stabilization of Kelvin-Voigt Damped Systems will be a useful reference for researchers in mechanics, particularly those interested in the study of control theory of PDEs.

This monograph focuses on the mathematical modeling of distributed parameter systems in which mass/energy transport or wave propagation phenomena occur and which are described by partial differential equations of hyperbolic type. The case of linear (or linearized) 2 x 2 hyperbolic systems of balance laws is considered, i.e., systems described by two coupled linear partial differential equations with two variables representing physical quantities, depending on both time and one-dimensional spatial variable. Based on practical examples of a double-pipe heat exchanger and a transportation pipeline, two typical configurations of boundary input signals are analyzed: collocated, wherein both signals affect the system at the same spatial point, and anti-collocated, in which the input signals are applied to the two different end points of the system. The results of this book emerge from the practical experience of the author gained during his studies conducted in the experimental installation of a heat exchange center as well as from his research experience in the field of mathematical and computer modeling of dynamic systems. The book presents valuable results concerning their state-space, transfer function and time-domain representations, which can be useful both for the open-loop analysis as well as for the closed-loop design. The book is primarily intended to help professionals as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students involved in modeling and automatic control of dynamic systems.

In the past three decades, bifurcation theory has matured into a well-established and vibrant branch of mathematics. This book gives a unified presentation in an abstract setting of the main theorems in bifurcation theory, as well as more recent and lesser known results. It covers both the local and global theory of one-parameter bifurcations for operators acting in infinite-dimensional Banach spaces, and shows how to apply the theory to problems involving partial differential equations. In addition to existence, qualitative properties such as stability and nodal structure of bifurcating solutions are treated in depth. This volume will serve as an important reference for mathematicians, physicists, and theoretically-inclined engineers working in bifurcation theory and its applications to partial differential equations.

The second edition is substantially and formally revised and new material is added. Among this is bifurcation with a two-dimensional kernel with applications, the buckling of the Euler rod, the appearance of Taylor vortices, the singular limit process of the Cahn-Hilliard model, and an application of this method to more complicated nonconvex variational problems.

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Like the previous editions also the third edition of this book combines the detailed physical modeling of mechatronic systems and their precise numerical simulation using the Finite Element (FE) method. Thereby, the basic chapter concerning the Finite Element (FE) method is enhanced, provides now also a description of higher order finite elements (both for nodal and edge finite elements) and a detailed discussion of non-conforming mesh techniques. The author enhances and improves many discussions on principles and methods. In particular, more emphasis is put on the description of single fields by adding the flow field. Corresponding to these field, the book is augmented with the new chapter about coupled flow-structural mechanical systems. Thereby, the discussion of computational aeroacoustics is extended towards perturbation approaches, which allows a decomposition of flow and acoustic quantities within the flow region. Last but not least, applications are updated and restructured so that the book meets modern demands.

Many approaches have been proposed to solve the problem of finding the optic flow field of an image sequence. Three major classes of optic flow computation techniques can discriminated (see for a good overview Beauchemin and Barron IBeauchemin19951): gradient based (or differential) methods; phase based (or frequency domain) methods; correlation based (or area) methods; feature point (or sparse data) tracking methods; In this chapter we compute the optic flow as a dense optic flow field with a multi scale differential method. The method, originally proposed by Florack and Nielsen [Florack1998a] is known as the Multiscale Optic Flow Constrain Equation (MOFCE). This is a scale space version of the well known computer vision implementation of the optic flow constraint equation, as originally proposed by Horn and Schunck [Horn1981]. This scale space variation, as usual, consists of the introduction of the aperture of the observation in the process. The application to stereo has been described by Maas et al. [Maas 1995a, Maas 1996a]. Of course, difficulties arise when structure emerges or disappears, such as with occlusion, cloud formation etc. Then knowledge is needed about the processes and objects involved. In this chapter we focus on the scale space approach to the local measurement of optic flow, as we may expect the visual front end to do. 17. 2 Motion detection with pairs of receptive fields As a biologically motivated start, we begin with discussing some neurophysiological findings in the visual system with respect to motion detection.

Many dynamical systems are described by differential equations that can be separated into one part, containing linear terms with constant coefficients, and a second part, relatively small compared with the first, containing nonlinear terms. Such a system is said to be weakly nonlinear. The small terms rendering the system nonlinear are referred to as perturbations. A weakly nonlinear system is called quasi-linear and is governed by quasi-linear differential equations. We will be interested in systems that reduce to harmonic oscillators in the absence of perturbations. This book is devoted primarily to applied asymptotic methods in nonlinear oscillations which are associated with the names of N. M. Krylov, N. N. Bogoli ubov and Yu. A. Mitropolskii. The advantages of the present methods are their simplicity, especially for computing higher approximations, and their applicability to a large class of quasi-linear problems. In this book, we confine ourselves basi cally to the scheme proposed by Krylov, Bogoliubov as stated in the monographs 6,211. We use these methods, and also develop and improve them for solving new problems and new classes of nonlinear differential equations. Although these methods have many applications in Mechanics, Physics and Technique, we will illustrate them only with examples which clearly show their strength and which are themselves of great interest. A certain amount of more advanced material has also been included, making the book suitable for a senior elective or a beginning graduate course on nonlinear oscillations."

This monograph presents computational models that describe electro-mechanical characteristics of tapered and cylinder roller bearings in various industrial applications. Applying the Levenberg-Marquardt's algorithm to solving strongly nonlinear coupled equation systems, the computational models consisting of many circular slices per rolling element enable computations of the local Hertzian pressures at the elastohydrodynamic (EHD) contact area, the relating oil-film thickness in elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL), the limiting voltage of electro-pitting, bearing frictions, and fatigue lifetimes of the bearings for various load spectra. Using the best-known machine-learning method for clustering, the load spectrum is clustered in k cluster means based on the invariant damage number to accelerate the load spectrum. Furthermore, the accelerated load spectrum is used for the testing procedure of the bearings to reduce the testing time and costs as well. The target audience of this book primarily comprises graduate students in mechanical engineering and practicing engineers of electro-machines and transmission systems who want to computationally design tapered and cylinder roller bearings for the automotive industry and other industries, and to deeply dive into these relating working fields.

This book reports on a comprehensive study addressing the dynamic responses of hydropower plants under diverse conditions and disturbances, and analyzes their stability and oscillations. Multiple models based on eight existing hydropower plants in Sweden and China were developed and used for simulations and theoretical analysis with various degrees of complexity and for different purposes, and compared with on-site measurements for validations. The book offers important insights into the understanding of the hydraulic, mechanical and electrical coupling mechanisms, up to market conditions and incentives. It recommends control strategies for a more stable and efficient operation of hydropower plants.

After a short introduction to the fundamentals, this book provides a detailed account of major advances in applying fractional calculus to dynamical systems. Fractional order dynamical systems currently continue to gain further importance in many areas of science and engineering. As with many other approaches to mathematical modeling, the first issue to be addressed is the need to couple a definition of the fractional differentiation or integration operator with the types of dynamical systems that are analyzed. As such, for the fundamentals the focus is on basic aspects of fractional calculus, in particular stability analysis, which is required to tackle synchronization in coupled fractional order systems, to understand the essence of estimators for related integer order systems, and to keep track of the interplay between synchronization and parameter observation. This serves as the common basis for the more advanced topics and applications presented in the subsequent chapters, which include an introduction to the 'Immersion and Invariance' (I&I) methodology, the masterslave synchronization scheme for partially known nonlinear fractional order systems, Fractional Algebraic Observability (FAO) and Fractional Generalized quasi-Synchronization (FGqS) to name but a few. This book is intended not only for applied mathematicians and theoretical physicists, but also for anyone in applied science dealing with complex nonlinear systems.

This book presents the theoretical concepts of stress and strain, as well as the strengthening and fracture mechanisms of engineering materials in an accessible level for non-expert readers, but without losing scientific rigor. This volume fills the gap between the specialized books on mechanical behavior, physical metallurgy and material science and engineering books on strength of materials, structural design and materials failure. Therefore it is intended for college students and practicing engineers that are learning for the first time the mechanical behavior and failure of engineering materials or wish to deepen their understanding on these topics. The book includes specific topics seldom covered in other books, such as: how to determine a state of stress, the relation between stress definition and mechanical design, or the theory behind the methods included in industrial standards to assess defects or to determine fatigue life. The emphasis is put into the link between scientific knowledge and practical applications, including solved problems of the main topics, such as stress and strain calculation. Mohr's Circle, yield criteria, fracture mechanics, fatigue and creep life prediction. The volume covers both the original findings in the field of mechanical behavior of engineering materials, and the most recent and widely accepted theories and techniques applied to this topic. At the beginning of some selected topics that by the author's judgement are transcendental for this field of study, the prime references are given, as well as a brief biographical semblance of those who were the pioneers or original contributors. Finally, the intention of this book is to be a textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses on Mechanical Behavior, Mechanical Metallurgy and Materials Science, as well as a consulting and/or training material for practicing engineers in industry that deal with mechanical design, materials selection, material processing, structural integrity assessment, and for researchers that incursion for the first time in the topics covered in this book.

Numerical simulation methods in all engineering disciplines gains more and more importance. The successful and efficient application of such tools requires certain basic knowledge about the underlying numerical techniques. The text gives a practice-oriented introduction in modern numerical methods as they typically are applied in mechanical, chemical, or civil engineering. Problems from heat transfer, structural mechanics, and fluid mechanics constitute a thematical focus of the text. For the basic understanding of the topic aspects of numerical mathematics, natural sciences, computer science, and the corresponding engineering area are simultaneously important. Usually, the necessary information is distributed in different textbooks from the individual disciplines. In the present text the subject matter is presented in a comprehensive multidisciplinary way, where aspects from the different fields are treated insofar as it is necessary for general understanding. Overarching aspects and important questions related to accuracy, efficiency, and cost effectiveness are discussed. The topics are presented in an introductory manner, such that besides basic mathematical standard knowledge in analysis and linear algebra no further prerequisites are necessary. The book is suitable either for self-study or as an accompanying textbook for corresponding lectures. It can be useful for students of engineering disciplines as well as for computational engineers in industrial practice.

The request to organize under its patronage at Poitiers in 1998 a Symposium entitled "Advanced Optical Methods and Applications in Solid Mechanics" by the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (I.U.T.A.M.) was well received for the following two reasons. First, for nearly 20 years no Symposium devoted to optical methods in solids had been organized. Second, recent advances in digital image processing provided many new applications which are described in the following. We have the honour to present here the proceedings of this Symposium. st th The Symposium took place from august 31 to September 4 at the Institut International de la Prospective in Futuroscope near Poitiers. A significant number of internationally renowned specialists had expressed their wish to participate in this meeting. The Scientific Committee proposed 16 general conferences and selected 33 regular lectures and 17 poster presentations. Papers corresponding to posters are not differentiated in the proceedings from those that were presented orally. It is worth noting that a total of 80 participants, representing 16 countries, registered for this symposium.. The Scientific Committee deserves praise for attracting a significant number of young scientists, both as authors and as participants. Let us add our warm acknowledgements to Professor J.W. Dally and to Professor A.S. Kobayashi who, throughout the symposium preparation time, brought us valuable help.

For readers with no background in acoustics Takes a unique problem based learning approach, reinforcing basic material with progressively complex example problems with solutions. Carefully up-dates and extended from the first edition Solutions to these additional problems available to instructors on request. Suits practising engineers with no acoustics background addressing noise problems in the workplace.

This book presents an isospectral approach for several important mechanical vibrating systems. Discrete and continuous isospectral systems are discussed using a simple multi-degree of freedom spring-mass system followed by illustration of isospectral beams and their solution through evolutionary computing. Next, it addresses axially loaded Euler-Bernoulli beams and aims to find isospectral counterparts of these systems. The practical application of these isospectral systems for vibration testing and for finding new closed form solutions is discussed. A considerable part of the book is devoted to isospectral rotating beams and their non-rotating analogs including Rayleigh beams. Aimed at researchers and graduate students in mechanical; aerospace; civil; automotive; ocean engineering especially mechanical vibrations, this monograph: Discusses isospectral vibrating systems to aid vibration testing and computational analysis Explores isospectral analogs between rotating and non-rotating structures Provides simpler isospectral beams for vibration testing and for 3D printing Uses firefly optimization method and electromagnetism inspired optimization method to find isospectral systems Shows the use of isospectral systems to find new closed form solutions using an indirect approach

The sixth edition of Structural Dynamics: Theory and Computation is the complete and comprehensive text in the field. It presents modern methods of analysis and techniques adaptable to computer programming clearly and easily. The book is ideal as a text for advanced undergraduates or graduate students taking a first course in structural dynamics. It is arranged in such a way that it can be used for a one- or two-semester course, or span the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition, this text will serve the practicing engineer as a primary reference. The text differs from the standard approach of other presentations in which topics are ordered by their mathematical complexity. This text is organized by the type of structural modeling. The author simplifies the subject by presenting a single degree-of-freedom system in the first chapters, then moves to systems with many degrees-of-freedom in the following chapters. Finally, the text moves to applications of the first chapters and special topics in structural dynamics. This revised textbook intends to provide enhanced learning materials for students to learn structural dynamics, ranging from basics to advanced topics, including their application. When a line-by-line programming language is included with solved problems, students can learn course materials easily and visualize the solved problems using a program. Among several programming languages, MATLAB (R) has been adopted by many academic institutions across several disciplines. Many educators and students in the U.S. and many international institutions can readily access MATLAB (R), which has an appropriate programming language to solve and simulate problems in the textbook. It effectively allows matrix manipulations and plotting of data. Therefore, multi-degree-of freedom problems can be solved in conjunction with the finite element method using MATLAB (R).The revised version will include: * solved 34 examples in Chapters 1 through 22 along with MALAB codes. * basics of earthquake design with current design codes (ASCE 7-16 and IBC 2018). * additional figures obtained from MATLAB codes to illustrate time-variant structural behavior and dynamic characteristics (e.g., time versus displacement and spectral chart). This text is essential for civil engineering students. Professional civil engineers will find it an ideal reference.

This volume consists of 14 contributed chapters written by leading experts, offering in-depth discussions of the mathematical modeling and algorithmic aspects for tackling a range of space engineering applications. This book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners working in the field of space engineering. Since it offers an in-depth exposition of the mathematical modelling, algorithmic and numerical solution aspects of the topics covered, the book will also be useful to aerospace engineering graduates and post-graduate students who wish to expand their knowledge by studying real-world applications and challenges that they will encounter in their profession. Readers will obtain a broad overview of some of the most challenging space engineering operational scenarios of today and tomorrow: this will be useful for managers in the aerospace field, as well as in other industrial sectors. The contributed chapters are mainly focused on space engineering practice. Researchers and practitioners in mathematical systems modelling, operations research, optimization, and optimal control will also benefit from the case studies presented in this book. The model development and optimization approaches discussed can be extended towards other application areas that are not directly related to space engineering. Therefore, the book can be a useful reference to assist in the development of new modelling and optimization applications.

This book was written to facilitate column sizing and reinforcement design for structural engineers. It arranges the design data in a clearly structured manner, and provides quick and easy ways for engineers to compare the feasibility of multiple alternatives (various column sizes and reinforcement configurations). With the help of this book, engineers can rapidly produce outputs for architects, which the latter can incorporate into their architectural layout plans. These outputs can also benefit quantity surveyors, especially for costing purposes, and help avoid careless design errors. The book is chiefly intended for structural engineers who implement Eurocode 2 for reinforced concrete design. To gain the most from it, readers should possess a basic understanding of column design, e.g. the stresses and forces produced in columns and their reinforcements when subjected to axial load and bending moment. However, the book also provides explanatory notes for the design data tables, allowing them to be used without prior background knowledge.

For readers with no background in acoustics Takes a unique problem based learning approach, reinforcing basic material with progressively complex example problems with solutions. Carefully up-dates and extended from the first edition Solutions to these additional problems available to instructors on request. Suits practising engineers with no acoustics background addressing noise problems in the workplace.

In this book, all physical laws are derived from a small number of invariant integrals which express the conservation of energy, mass, or momentum. This new approach allows us to unify the laws of theoretical physics, to simplify their derivation, and to discover some novel or more universal laws. Newton's Law of gravity is generalized to take into account cosmic forces of repulsion, Archimedes' principle of buoyancy is modified for account of the surface tension, and Coulomb's Laws for rolling friction and for the interaction of electric charges are substantially repaired and generalized. For postgraduate students, lecturers and researchers.

This textbook draws on the authors' experience gained by teaching courses for engineering students on e.g. vehicle mechanics, vehicle system design, and chassis design; and on their practical experience as engineering designers for vehicle and chassis components at a major automotive company. The book is primarily intended for students of automotive engineering, but also for all technicians and designers working in this field. Other enthusiastic engineers will also find it to be a useful technical guide. The present volume (The Automotive Chassis - Volume 1: Component Design) focuses on automotive chassis components, such as:* the structure, which is usually a ladder framework and supports all the remaining components of the vehicle;* the suspension for the mechanical linkage of the wheels;* the wheels and tires;* the steering system;* the brake system; and* the transmission system, used to apply engine torque to the driving wheels. This thoroughly revised and updated second edition presents recent developments, particularly in brake, steering, suspension and transmission subsystems. Special emphasis is given to modern control systems and control strategies.

It is difficult to do justice to fracture mechanics in a textbook, for the subject encompasses so many disciplines. A general survey of the field would serve no purpose other than give a collection of references. The present book by Professor E. E. Gdoutos is refreshing because it does not fall into the esoteric tradition of outlining equations and results. Basic ideas and underlying principles are clearly explained as to how they are used in application. The presentations are concise and each topic can be understood by advanced undergraduates in material science and continuum mechanics. The book is highly recommended not only as a text in fracture mechanics but also as a reference to those interested in the general aspects of failure analysis. In addition to providing an in-depth review of the analytical methods for evaluating the fundamental quantities used in linear elastic fracture mechanics, various criteria are discussed re: O. ecting their limitations and applications. Par ticular emphases are given to predicting crack initiation, subcritical growth and the onset of rapid fracture from a single criterion. Those models in which it is assumed that the crack extends from tip to tip rely on the specific surface energy concept. The differences in the global and energy states before and after crack extension were associated with the energy required to create a unit area of crack surface. Applications were limited by the requirement of self-similar crack growth."

Too often the Eartha (TM)s surface acted as a divide between seismologists and engineers. Now it is becoming clear that the building behaviour largely depends on the seismic input and the buildings on their turn act as seismic sources, in an intricate interplay that non-linear phenomena make even more complex. These phenomena are often the cause of observed damage enhancement during past earthquakes. While research may pursue complex models to fully understand soil dynamics under seismic loading, we need also simple models valid on average, whose results can be easily transferred to end users.

Under the title a oeIncreasing Seismic Safety by Combining Engineering Technologies and Seismological Dataa, we grouped several topics to be discussed together by engineers and seismologists: (1) Can we use ambient noise building and soil characterisation to extract useful information for engineers? (2) How we can tell apart a frequency decrease due to distributed damage, concentrated damage, time- varying building and soil behaviour? (3) Which is the role of transients in ambient noise analysis? (4) Can we quantify the influence of existing buildings on ground-motion recordings? (5) To which extent soil-building resonance is a cause of damage enhancement? (6) How to couple soil and building non-linear behaviour?

On most questions there is an unanimous answer, but in some cases different views are present and the disagreement is faithfully reported.

Within the last thirty years there is a growing acknowledgement that prevention of catastrophic failures necessitates engagement of a large pool of expertise. Herein it is not excessive to seek advice from disciplines like materials science, structural engineering, mathematics, physics, reliability engineering and even economics. Today's engineering goals, independently of size; do not have the luxury of being outsideaglobalperspective.Survivaloftheintegratedmarketsand?nancialsystems require a web of safe transportation, energy production and product manufacturing. It is perhaps the ?rst decade in engineering history that multidisciplinary - proaching is not just an idea that needs to materialise but has matured beyond infancy. We can witness such transition by examining engineering job descriptions and postgraduate curricula. The undertaking of organising a conference to re?ect the above was not easy and de?nitely, not something that was brought to life without a lot of work and c- st mitment. The 1 Conference of Engineering Against Fracture from its conceptual day until completion was designed in a way of underlying the need of bringing all the key players on a common ground that once properly cultivated can ?ourish. To achieve that the conference themes were numerous and despite their, in principle notional differences, it was apparent that the attendees established such common ground through argumentation. The reader can see this from the variety of research areas re?ected by the works and keynote lecturers presented.