This is the first book to introduce the irrational elliptic function series, providing a theoretical treatment for the smooth and discontinuous system and opening a new branch of applied mathematics. The discovery of the smooth and discontinuous (SD) oscillator and the SD attractors discussed in this book represents a further milestone in nonlinear dynamics, following on the discovery of the Ueda attractor in 1961 and Lorenz attractor in 1963. This particular system bears significant similarities to the Duffing oscillator, exhibiting the standard dynamics governed by the hyperbolic structure associated with the stationary state of the double well. However, there is a substantial departure in nonlinear dynamics from standard dynamics at the discontinuous stage. The constructed irrational elliptic function series, which offers a way to directly approach the nature dynamics analytically for both smooth and discontinuous behaviours including the unperturbed periodic motions and the perturbed chaotic attractors without any truncation, is of particular interest. Readers will also gain a deeper understanding of the actual nonlinear phenomena by means of a simple mechanical model: the theory, methodology, and the applications in various interlinked disciplines of sciences and engineering. This book offers a valuable resource for researchers, professionals and postgraduate students in mechanical engineering, non-linear dynamics, and related areas, such as nonlinear modelling in various fields of mathematics, physics and the engineering sciences.

This is the first book to introduce the irrational elliptic function series, providing a theoretical treatment for the smooth and discontinuous system and opening a new branch of applied mathematics. The discovery of the smooth and discontinuous (SD) oscillator and the SD attractors discussed in this book represents a further milestone in nonlinear dynamics, following on the discovery of the Ueda attractor in 1961 and Lorenz attractor in 1963. This particular system bears significant similarities to the Duffing oscillator, exhibiting the standard dynamics governed by the hyperbolic structure associated with the stationary state of the double well. However, there is a substantial departure in nonlinear dynamics from standard dynamics at the discontinuous stage. The constructed irrational elliptic function series, which offers a way to directly approach the nature dynamics analytically for both smooth and discontinuous behaviours including the unperturbed periodic motions and the perturbed chaotic attractors without any truncation, is of particular interest. Readers will also gain a deeper understanding of the actual nonlinear phenomena by means of a simple mechanical model: the theory, methodology, and the applications in various interlinked disciplines of sciences and engineering. This book offers a valuable resource for researchers, professionals and postgraduate students in mechanical engineering, non-linear dynamics, and related areas, such as nonlinear modelling in various fields of mathematics, physics and the engineering sciences.

Non Destructive Testing and Non Destructive Evaluation using Ultrasounds covers an important field of applications and requires a wide range of fundamental theoretical, numerical and experimental investigations. In the present volume, the reader will find some relevant research results on wave propagation in complex materials and structures which are concerned with today 's problems on composites, bonding, guided waves, contact or damage, imaging and structural noise. The fifth meeting of the Anglo-French Research Group on "Wave propagation in non homogeneous media with a view to Non Destructive testing" was held in Anglet, France, June 2-6, 2008.

Non Destructive Testing and Non Destructive Evaluation using Ultrasounds covers an important field of applications and requires a wide range of fundamental theoretical, numerical and experimental investigations. In the present volume, the reader will find some relevant research results on wave propagation in complex materials and structures which are concerned with today's problems on composites, bonding, guided waves, contact or damage, imaging and structural noise. The fifth meeting of the Anglo-French Research Group on "Wave propagation in non homogeneous media with a view to Non Destructive testing" was held in Anglet, France, June 2-6, 2008.

Qualitative Analysis of Nonsmooth Dynamics: A Simple Discrete System with Unilateral Contact and Coulomb Friction explores the effects of small and large deformations to understand how shocks, sliding, and stick phases affect the trajectories of mechanical systems. By analyzing these non-regularities successively this work explores the set of equilibria and properties of periodic solutions of elementary mechanical systems, where no classical results issued from the theory of ordinary differential equations are readily available, such as stability, continuation or approximation of solutions. The authors focus on unilateral contact in presence of Coulomb friction and show, in particular, how any regularization would greatly simplify the mathematics but lead to unacceptable physical responses.