Elasticity theory is a classical discipline. The mathematical theory of elasticity in mechanics, especially the linearized theory, is quite mature, and is one of the foundations of several engineering sciences. In the last twenty years, there has been significant progress in several areas closely related to this classical field, this applies in particular to the following two areas. First, progress has been made in numerical methods, especially the development of the finite element method. The finite element method, which was independently created and developed in different ways by sci entists both in China and in the West, is a kind of systematic and modern numerical method for solving partial differential equations, especially el liptic equations. Experience has shown that the finite element method is efficient enough to solve problems in an extremely wide range of applica tions of elastic mechanics. In particular, the finite element method is very suitable for highly complicated problems. One of the authors (Feng) of this book had the good fortune to participate in the work of creating and establishing the theoretical basis of the finite element method. He thought in the early sixties that the method could be used to solve computational problems of solid mechanics by computers. Later practice justified and still continues to justify this point of view. The authors believe that it is now time to include the finite element method as an important part of the content of a textbook of modern elastic mechanics."

The need to predict, understand, and optimize complex physical and c- mical processes occurring in and around the earth, such as groundwater c- tamination, oil reservoir production, discovering new oil reserves, and ocean hydrodynamics, has been increasingly recognized. Despite their seemingly disparate natures, these geoscience problems have many common mathe- tical and computational characteristics. The techniques used to describe and study them are applicable across a broad range of areas. The study of the above problems through physical experiments, mat- matical theory, and computational techniques requires interdisciplinary col- boration between engineers, mathematicians, computational scientists, and other researchers working in industry, government laboratories, and univ- sities. By bringing together such researchers, meaningful progress can be made in predicting, understanding, and optimizing physical and chemical processes. The International Workshop on Fluid Flow and Transport in Porous - dia was successfully held in Beijing, China, August 2{6, 1999. The aim of this workshop was to bring together applied mathematicians, computational scientists, and engineers working actively in the mathematical and nume- cal treatment of ?uid ?ow and transport in porous media. A broad range of researchers presented papers and discussed both problems and current, state-of-the-art techniques.

This book describes in detail the current, state-of-the-art numerical treatment and simulation of multiphase flows in porous media. The porous media considered range from ordinary to fractured and deformable media, the models treated from single-phase compressible flow to multiphase multicomponent flow with mass interchange, while the computational algorithms encompass everything from classical iterative solvers to modern multigrid and domain decomposition approaches. Addressing many problems originating from the applied geosciences, the book focuses on their common mathematical and computational aspects. It will serve as an excellent research reference for all geoscientists, mathematicians, physicists, and engineers who work in the mathematical modeling and numerical simulation of multiphase flows in porous media.

There has been rapid development in the area of adaptive computation over the past decade. The International Conference on Recent Advances in Adaptive Computation was held at Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China) to explore these new directions. The conference brought together specialists to discuss modern theories and practical applications of adaptive methods. This volume contains articles reflecting the invited talks given by leading mathematicians at the conference. It is suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in methods of computation.