Today’s biggest structural engineering challenge is to design better structures, and a key issue is the need to take an integrated approach which balances control of costs with the requirement for handling earthquakes and other dynamic forces. Structural optimization is based on rigorous mathematical formulation and requires computation algorithms for sizing structural elements and synthesizing systems. Now that the right software and enough computing power are readily available, professionals can now develop a suite of alternative designs and a select suitable one. A thoroughly-written and practical book on structural optimization is long overdue. This solid book comprehensively presents current optimization strategies, illustrated with sufficient examples of the design of elements and systems and presenting descriptions of the process and results. Emphasis is given to dynamic loading, in particular to seismic forces. Researchers and practising engineers will find this book an excellent reference, and advanced undergraduates or graduate students can use it as a resource for structural optimization design.

Everything civil and structural engineers in California need to prepare for the seismic design topics of the Special Civil Engineering Exam and California Structural Engineering Exam. This guide emphasizes methods that lead to the quickest and simplest solution to any problem.

The subject of hydrodynamics applied to offshore structures is vast. The topics covered in this book aim to help the reader understand basic principles while at the same time giving the designer enough information for particular designs. Thus, results are given with derivations, and applications are discussed with the aid of examples, with an overview of the advantages and limitations of the method involved. This makes the book suitable as a text for undergraduate and graduate students specializing in offshore and ocean engineering.