This book presents comparative design as an approach to the conceptual design of structures. Primarily focusing on reasonable structural performance, sustainable development and architectural aesthetics, it features detailed studies of structural performance through the composition and de-composition of these elements for a variety of structures, such as high-rise buildings, long-span crossings and spatial structures. The latter part of the book addresses the theoretical basis and practical implementation of knowledge engineering in structural design, and a case-based fuzzy reasoning method is introduced to illustrate the concept and method of intelligent design. The book is intended for civil engineers, structural designers and architects, as well as senior undergraduate and graduate students in civil engineering and architecture. Lin Shaopei and Huang Zhen are both Professors at the Department of Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.

This book contains mechanism analysis and synthesis. In mechanism analysis, a mobility methodology is first systematically presented. This methodology, based on the author's screw theory, proposed in 1997, of which the generality and validity was only proved recently, is a very complex issue, researched by various scientists over the last 150 years. The principle of kinematic influence coefficient and its latest developments are described. This principle is suitable for kinematic analysis of various 6-DOF and lower-mobility parallel manipulators. The singularities are classified by a new point of view, and progress in position-singularity and orientation-singularity is stated. In addition, the concept of over-determinate input is proposed and a new method of force analysis based on screw theory is presented. In mechanism synthesis, the synthesis for spatial parallel mechanisms is discussed, and the synthesis method of difficult 4-DOF and 5-DOF symmetric mechanisms, which was first put forward by the author in 2002, is introduced in detail. Besides, the three-order screw system and its space distribution of the kinematic screws for infinite possible motions of lower mobility mechanisms are both analyzed.

This book contains mechanism analysis and synthesis. In mechanism analysis, a mobility methodology is first systematically presented. This methodology, based on the author's screw theory, proposed in 1997, of which the generality and validity was only proved recently, is a very complex issue, researched by various scientists over the last 150 years. The principle of kinematic influence coefficient and its latest developments are described. This principle is suitable for kinematic analysis of various 6-DOF and lower-mobility parallel manipulators. The singularities are classified by a new point of view, and progress in position-singularity and orientation-singularity is stated. In addition, the concept of over-determinate input is proposed and a new method of force analysis based on screw theory is presented. In mechanism synthesis, the synthesis for spatial parallel mechanisms is discussed, and the synthesis method of difficult 4-DOF and 5-DOF symmetric mechanisms, which was first put forward by the author in 2002, is introduced in detail. Besides, the three-order screw system and its space distribution of the kinematic screws for infinite possible motions of lower mobility mechanisms are both analyzed.

Aufbauend auf einer organisationstheoretischen Analyse untersucht Zhen Huang anhand zweier Fallstudien den Wandlungspfad in chinesischen Staatsbetrieben und die damit verbundenen Probleme.