This book presents, in a uniform way, several problems in applied mechanics, which are analysed using the matrix theory and the properties of eigenvalues and eigenvectors. It reveals that various problems and studies in mechanical engineering produce certain patterns that can be treated in a similar way. Accordingly, the same mathematical apparatus allows us to study not only mathematical structures such as quadratic forms, but also mechanics problems such as multibody rigid mechanics, continuum mechanics, vibrations, elastic and dynamic stability, and dynamic systems. In addition, the book explores a wealth of engineering applications.

This book presents, in a uniform way, several problems in applied mechanics, which are analysed using the matrix theory and the properties of eigenvalues and eigenvectors. It reveals that various problems and studies in mechanical engineering produce certain patterns that can be treated in a similar way. Accordingly, the same mathematical apparatus allows us to study not only mathematical structures such as quadratic forms, but also mechanics problems such as multibody rigid mechanics, continuum mechanics, vibrations, elastic and dynamic stability, and dynamic systems. In addition, the book explores a wealth of engineering applications.

Advanced composite materials engineering is one of the most important area of research and development at the present time. Composite materials are a mixture of two or more different components, whose properties complement each other, and the result is a material with superior properties to those specific to each component. The utilization of composite materials is growing fast in strategic fields such as the aircraft, automotive, biomedical, naval and space industries, as well as in textile, paints, magnetic fluids, high-quality paper coatings, and microelectronics. These Proceedings of the 4th International Conference "Advanced Composite Materials Engineering" COMAT 2012 include 67 papers, which analyse many important practical applications. The topics range from wood engineering, sonic composite visualization, asphalt mixtures with polypropylene fibers and dental filling materials, to design optimization of composite stiffened structures for aerospace applications, new lignocellulosic composite materials, incorporation of different inorganic nanoparticles in polymer matrix, and carbon fiber reinforced polymer-matrix composites.

These Proceedings of the 5th International Conference "Computational Mechanics and Virtual Engineering" COMAT 2013 include 58 papers, which analyze many important practical applications. The topics range from numerical simulations regarding the determination of stresses in all plies of various composite laminates, structural synthesis for redundant industrial robots with more than 6 axes, and the sound attenuation in a sonic composite with point defects studied using a new method that combines the features of the cnoidal method and the genetic algorithm, to a set of dual vectors based methods for rigid body displacement and motion parameterization, vibrations of heterogeneous curved beams subjected to a radial force at the crown point, and computation of the longitudinal tensile break stress of multiphase composite materials with short fibers as reinforcement.