The construction industry is becoming increasingly aware of the need to adopt a holistic approach to the design, building, and disposal of structures. With 60 per cent of the total construction budget in most developed countries being spent on repair and maintenance, there is an obvious need to design for reliability and durability, with more carefully planned maintenance and repair schedules. One important facet is to look at how costs are distributed and spent during the lifetime of a structure: an approach known as life cycle costing, which has the ultimate aim of minimising total lifetime expenditure. As an example, choosing an inexpensive coating for steelwork may require maintenance every three years, whereas a coating which is more expensive may require repairing only once per decade. It is a question of balance - taking the lifetime costs of the structure into consideration. This new book provides an insight into how whole life costing is affecting our approach to designing, building, maintaining and disposing of structures. The book is written for consulting engineers in the fields of civil and structural engineering, building designers, architects, quantity surveyors, refurbishing specialists, as well as practising civil and structural engineers engaged in planning, design, construction, repair and refurbishment of structures.

The major problems in predicting soil-structure interaction are based on the fact that soil is neither homogeneous nor elastic and is invariably much weaker than the structure it has to support. This text describes how a number of different methods of analysis and modelling, including the boundary element method, the finite element method and a range of classical methods, are used to answer some of the questions associated with soil-structure interaction. Contributions from 19 international practising engineers and researchers cover the following main topics: caverns; dams; embankments; excavations; subsidence; pavements; piles; pipelines; retaining walls and tunnels.

The construction industry is becoming increasingly aware of the need to adopt a holistic approach to the design, building, and disposal of structures. With 60 per cent of the total construction budget in most developed countries being spent on repair and maintenance, there is an obvious need to design for reliability and durability, with more carefully planned maintenance and repair schedules. One important facet is to look at how costs are distributed and spent during the lifetime of a structure: an approach known as life cycle costing, which has the ultimate aim of minimising total lifetime expenditure. As an example, choosing an inexpensive coating for steelwork may require maintenance every three years, whereas a coating which is more expensive may require repairing only once per decade. It is a question of balance - taking the lifetime costs of the structure into consideration. This new book provides an insight into how whole life costing is affecting our approach to designing, building, maintaining and disposing of structures.

This book describes how a number of different methods of analysis and modelling, including the boundary element method, the finite element method, and a range of classical methods, are used to answer some of the questions associated with soil-structure interaction.

Composite materials are increasingly used in many applications because they offer the engineer a range of advantages over traditional materials. They are often used in situations where a specified level of performance is required, but where the cost of testing the materials under the extremes of those specifications is very high. In order to solve this problem, engineers are turning to computer Modelling to evaluate the materials under the range of conditions they are likely to encounter. Many of these analyses are carried out in isolation, and yet the evaluation of a range of composites can be carried out using the same basic principles. In this new book the editor has brought together an international panel of authors, each of whom is working on the analysis and Modelling of composite materials. The overage of the book is deliberately wide; to illustrate that similar principles and methods can be used to model and evaluate a wide range of materials. It is also hoped that, by bringing together this range of topics, the insight gained in the study of one composite can be recognized and utilized in the study of others. Professional engineers involved in the specification and testing of composite material structures will find this book an invaluable resource in the course of their work. It will also be of interest to those industrial and academic engineers involved in the design, development, manufacture and applications of composite materials.

The use of precast concrete is a well-established construction technique for beams, floors, panels, piles, walls and other structural elements. The advan tages of precasting include excellent quality control, economical large scale production, improved construction productivity (especially in adverse weather conditions) and immediate structure availability. These advantages have been recognized for precast concrete raft pavement units (raft units) since their introduction in the 1930s. In the last ten years there has been a considerable increase in the use ofraft units, especially in their range of applications, their analysis and their design. However, the description of these developments has been published in academicjournals and conference proceedings which are not readily available to practising raft unit pavement design engineers. Pavement design engineers are underincreasingpressure to produce raft unit designs that are inexpensive, long lasting and able to allow reorganization to accommodate changing use and uncertainty offuture loading requirements. This is the first book devoted to raft unit pavements, and will become a standard work of reference."

Composite materials are increasingly used in many applications because they offer the engineer a range of advantages over traditional materials. They are often used in situations where a specified level of performance is required, but where the cost of testing the materials under the extremes of those specifications is very high. In order to solve this problem, engineers are turning to computer Modelling to evaluate the materials under the range of conditions they are likely to encounter. Many of these analyses are carried out in isolation, and yet the evaluation of a range of composites can be carried out using the same basic principles. In this new book the editor has brought together an international panel of authors, each of whom is working on the analysis and Modelling of composite materials. The overage of the book is deliberately wide; to illustrate that similar principles and methods can be used to model and evaluate a wide range of materials. It is also hoped that, by bringing together this range of topics, the insight gained in the study of one composite can be recognized and utilized in the study of others. Professional engineers involved in the specification and testing of composite material structures will find this book an invaluable resource in the course of their work. It will also be of interest to those industrial and academic engineers involved in the design, development, manufacture and applications of composite materials.

The use of precast concrete is a well-established construction technique for beams, floors, panels, piles, walls and other structural elements. The advan tages of precasting include excellent quality control, economical large scale production, improved construction productivity (especially in adverse weather conditions) and immediate structure availability. These advantages have been recognized for precast concrete raft pavement units (raft units) since their introduction in the 1930s. In the last ten years there has been a considerable increase in the use ofraft units, especially in their range of applications, their analysis and their design. However, the description of these developments has been published in academicjournals and conference proceedings which are not readily available to practising raft unit pavement design engineers. Pavement design engineers are underincreasingpressure to produce raft unit designs that are inexpensive, long lasting and able to allow reorganization to accommodate changing use and uncertainty offuture loading requirements. This is the first book devoted to raft unit pavements, and will become a standard work of reference."

"A single mom who can barely boil water finds happiness and hilarity when she reinvents herself as a cooking columnist serving up recipes for romance." Shirley You Jest Book Awards. Pickin' Tomatoes is about picking the right choices in life. Sometimes you pick rotten tomatoes, sometimes you pick Heirloom tomatoes. Root for Maggie Malone as she searches for herself and Mister Right. She's part Stephanie Plum, part Bridget Jones and part pre-renowned Julia Child and will definitely keep you in stitches.