Over the last several years, the four authors have jointly conducted research into the analysis of vibrating Mindlin plates as a collaborative project between Nanyang Technological University, The National University of Singapore, and The University of Queensland. The research was prompted by the fact that there is a dearth of vibration results for Mindlin plates when compared to classical thin plate solutions. To generate the vibration results, the authors have successfully employed the Ritz method for general plate shapes and boundary conditions. The Ritz method, once thought to be awkward for general plate analysis, can be automated through suitable trial functions (for displacements) that satisfy the geometric plate boundary conditions "a priori." This work has been well-received by academics and researchers, as indicated by the continual requests for the authors' papers and the Ritz software codes. This monograph is written with the view to share this so-called "p"-Ritz method for the vibration analysis of Mindlin plates and its software codes with the research community. To the authors' knowledge, the monograph contains the first published Ritz plate software codes of its kind.

Mechanical Behaviors of Carbon Nanotubes: Theoretical and Numerical Approaches presents various theoretical and numerical studies on mechanical behaviors of carbon nanotubes. The main theoretical aspects included in the book contain classical molecular dynamics simulation, atomistic-continuum theory, atomic finite element method, continuum plate, nonlocal continuum plate, and shell models. Detailed coverage is also given to structural and elastic properties, trace of large deformation, buckling and post-buckling behaviors, fracture, vibration characteristics, wave propagation, and the most promising engineering applications. This book not only illustrates the theoretical and numerical methods for analyzing the mechanical behavior of carbon nanotubes, but also contains computational results from experiments that have already taken place.