The conduct of combat operations in open order during the 18th and 19th centuries required an improved firearm with more accuracy than the standard-issue smoothbore infantry musket. Consequently, the appearance of a new type of regular light infantry soldier and an innovative military firearm, the rifle, marked a new age in the history of warfare. During the 18th century both Austria and Prussia fielded light troops armed with rifled firearms, while conflicts in North America involved the deadly long rifle and the innovative Ferguson breech-loader. Rifle-armed specialists also fought for several nations during the Napoleonic Wars. However, it was the decades after 1815 that saw the appearance of successful rifled percussion firearms, paving the way for the widespread issue of rifled weapons. This development was accelerated by the Prussian adoption of the Dreyse ‘needle gun’ in 1848 and in 1849, the French Minié rifle was the first successful conical ball rifle concept to be issued to regular troops in large numbers. Illustrated throughout with stunning full-colour artwork, this study charts the development, combat use, influence and legacy of rifled firearms in a host of conflicts, from the War of the Austrian Succession of 1740–48 to the Mexican–American War of 1846–48.

This book provides a thorough and fresh treatment of the control of innovative variable-geometry vehicle suspension systems. A deep survey on the topic, which covers the varying types of existing variable-geometry suspension solutions, introduces the study. The book discusses three important aspects of the subject: • robust control design; • nonlinear system analysis; and • integration of learning and control methods. The importance of variable-geometry suspensions and the effectiveness of design methods implemented in the autonomous functionalities of electric vehicles—functionalities like independent steering and torque vectoring—are illustrated. The authors detail the theoretical background of modeling, control design, and analysis for each functionality. The theoretical results achieved through simulation examples and hardware-in-the-loop scenarios are confirmed. The book highlights emerging ideas of applying machine-learning-based methods in the control system with guarantees on safety performance. The authors propose novel control methods, based on the theory of robust linear parameter-varying systems, with examples for various suspension systems. Academic researchers interested in automotive systems and their counterparts involved in industrial research and development will find much to interest them in the eleven chapters of Control of Variable-Geometry Vehicle Suspensions.