Introduces readers to the fundamentals and applications of variational formulations in mechanics Nearly 40 years in the making, this book provides students with the foundation material of mechanics using a variational tapestry. It is centered around the variational structure underlying the Method of Virtual Power (MVP). The variational approach to the modeling of physical systems is the preferred approach to address complex mathematical modeling of both continuum and discrete media. This book provides a unified theoretical framework for the construction of a wide range of multiscale models. Introduction to the Variational Formulation in Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications enables readers to develop, on top of solid mathematical (variational) bases, and following clear and precise systematic steps, several models of physical systems, including problems involving multiple scales. It covers: Vector and Tensor Algebra; Vector and Tensor Analysis; Mechanics of Continua; Hyperelastic Materials; Materials Exhibiting Creep; Materials Exhibiting Plasticity; Bending of Beams; Torsion of Bars; Plates and Shells; Heat Transfer; Incompressible Fluid Flow; Multiscale Modeling; and more. A self-contained reader-friendly approach to the variational formulation in the mechanics Examines development of advanced variational formulations in different areas within the field of mechanics using rather simple arguments and explanations Illustrates application of the variational modeling to address hot topics such as the multiscale modeling of complex material behavior Presentation of the Method of Virtual Power as a systematic tool to construct mathematical models of physical systems gives readers a fundamental asset towards the architecture of even more complex (or open) problems Introduction to the Variational Formulation in Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications is a ideal book for advanced courses in engineering and mathematics, and an excellent resource for researchers in engineering, computational modeling, and scientific computing.

A comprehensive guide to using energy principles and variational methods for solving problems in solid mechanics This book provides a systematic, highly practical introduction to the use of energy principles, traditional variational methods, and the finite element method for the solution of engineering problems involving bars, beams, torsion, plane elasticity, trusses, and plates. It begins with a review of the basic equations of mechanics, the concepts of work and energy, and key topics from variational calculus. It presents virtual work and energy principles, energy methods of solid and structural mechanics, Hamilton’s principle for dynamical systems, and classical variational methods of approximation. And it takes a more unified approach than that found in most solid mechanics books, to introduce the finite element method. Featuring more than 200 illustrations and tables, this Third Edition has been extensively reorganized and contains much new material, including a new chapter devoted to the latest developments in functionally graded beams and plates. Offers clear and easy-to-follow descriptions of the concepts of work, energy, energy principles and variational methods Covers energy principles of solid and structural mechanics, traditional variational methods, the least-squares variational method, and the finite element, along with applications for each Provides an abundance of examples, in a problem-solving format, with descriptions of applications for equations derived in obtaining solutions to engineering structures Features end-of-the-chapter problems for course assignments, a Companion Website with a Solutions Manual, Instructor's Manual, figures, and more Energy Principles and Variational Methods in Applied Mechanics, Third Edition is both a superb text/reference for engineering students in aerospace, civil, mechanical, and applied mechanics, and a valuable working resource for engineers in design and analysis in the aircraft, automobile, civil engineering, and shipbuilding industries.

Presents a rigorous study on manifolds in Rn. Develops in details important standard topics on advanced calculus, such as the differential forms in surfaces in Rn. Presents a proposal to connect classical and quantum mechanics. Presents variational formulations for relativistic mechanics through semi-Riemannian geometry and differential geometry. Develops a rigorous study on causal structures in space-time manifolds.

This comprehensive text provides all information necessary for an introductory course on the calculus of variations and optimal control theory. Following a thorough discussion of the basic problem, including sufficient conditions for optimality, the theory and techniques are extended to problems with a free end point, a free boundary, auxiliary and inequality constraints, leading to a study of optimal control theory.

Advances in Applied Mechanics draws together recent significant advances in various topics in applied mechanics. Published since 1948, Advances in Applied Mechanics aims to provide authoritative review articles on topics in the mechanical sciences, primarily of interest to scientists and engineers working in the various branches of mechanics, but also of interest to the many who use the results of investigations in mechanics in various application areas, such as aerospace, chemical, civil, environmental, mechanical and nuclear engineering. - Covers all fields of the mechanical sciences - Highlights classical and modern areas of mechanics that are ready for review - Provides comprehensive coverage of the field in question

Recent years have seen a growing trend to derive models of macroscopic phenomena encountered in the fields of engineering, physics, chemistry, ecology, self-organisation theory and econophysics from various variational or extremum principles. Through the link between the integral extremum of a functional and the local extremum of a function (explicit, for example, in the Pontryagin's maximum principle variational and extremum principles are mutually related. Thus it makes sense to consider them within a common context. The main goal of Variational and Extremum Principles in Macroscopic Systems is to collect various mathematical formulations and examples of physical reasoning that involve both basic theoretical aspects and applications of variational and extremum approaches to systems of the macroscopic world. The first part of the book is focused on the theory, whereas the second focuses on applications. The unifying variational approach is used to derive the balance or conservation equations, phenomenological equations linking fluxes and forces, equations of change for processes with coupled transfer of energy and substance, and optimal conditions for energy management. - A unique multidisciplinary synthesis of variational and extremum principles in theory and application - A comprehensive review of current and past achievements in variational formulations for macroscopic processes - Uses Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms as a basis for the exposition of novel approaches to transfer and conversion of thermal, solar and chemical energy

This book describes the derivation of the equations of motion of fluids as well as the dynamics of ocean and atmospheric currents on both large and small scales through the use of variational methods. In this way the equations of Fluid and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics are re-derived making use of a unifying principle, that is Hamilton’s Principle of Least Action. The equations are analyzed within the framework of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics for continuous systems. The analysis of the equations’ symmetries and the resulting conservation laws, from Noether’s Theorem, represent the core of the description. Central to this work is the analysis of particle relabeling symmetry, which is unique for fluid dynamics and results in the conservation of potential vorticity. Different special approximations and relations, ranging from the semi-geostrophic approximation to the conservation of wave activity, are derived and analyzed. Thanks to a complete derivation of all relationships, this book is accessible for students at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well for researchers. Students of theoretical physics and applied mathematics will recognize the existence of theoretical challenges behind the applied field of Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, while students of applied physics, meteorology and oceanography will be able to find and appreciate the fundamental relationships behind equations in this field.

This book contains 24 papers presented at the symposium on “Recent Advances in Mechanics” dedicated to the late Professor – Academician Pericles S. Theocaris in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of his death. The papers are written by world renowned and recognized experts in their fields and serve as a reference and guide for future research. The topics covered in the book can be divided into three major themes: Mathematical methods in applied mechanics (nine papers), experimental mechanics (nine papers) and fracture mechanics (six papers). Topics covered include: Application of reciprocity relations to laser-based ultrasonics, boundary value problems of the theory of elasticity, optimal design in contact mechanics, scaling of strength and lifetime distributions of quasibrittle structures, directional distortional hardening in plasticity, vibration of systems, instability phenomena in damped systems, variational methods for static and dynamic elasticity problems, an accelerated Newmark scheme for solving the equations of motion in the time domain, photoelastic tomography, electronic speckle pattern interferometry, composites exposed to fire, sampling moiré, microelecromechanical systems, experimental mechanics in nano-scale, advanced cement based nanocomposites, piezonuclear transmutations in brittle rocks under mechanical loading, stress triaxiality at crack tips studied by caustics, reinforcement of a cracked elastic plate with defects, some actual problems of fracture mechanics, cyclic plasticity with applications to extremely low cycle fatigue of structural steel, and fracture of a highly filled polymer composite.

Presents a Systematic Approach for Modeling Mechanical Models Using Variational Formulation—Uses Real-World Examples and Applications of Mechanical Models Utilizing material developed in a classroom setting and tested over a 12-year period, Computational Solid Mechanics: Variational Formulation and High-Order Approximation details an approach that establishes a logical sequence for the treatment of any mechanical problem. Incorporating variational formulation based on the principle of virtual work, this text considers various aspects of mechanical models, explores analytical mechanics and their variational principles, and presents model approximations using the finite element method. It introduces the basics of mechanics for one-, two-, and three-dimensional models, emphasizes the simplification aspects required in their formulation, and provides relevant applications. Introduces Approximation Concepts Gradually throughout the Chapters Organized into ten chapters, this text provides a clear separation of formulation and finite element approximation. It details standard procedures to formulate and approximate models, while at the same time illustrating their application via software. Chapter one provides a general introduction to variational formulation and an overview of the mechanical models to be presented in the other chapters. Chapter two uses the concepts on equilibrium that readers should have to introduce basic notions on kinematics, duality, virtual work, and the PVW. Chapters three to ten present mechanical models, approximation and applications to bars, shafts, beams, beams with shear, general two- and three-dimensional beams, solids, plane models, and generic torsion and plates. Learn Theory Step by Step In each chapter, the material profiles all aspects of a specific mechanical model, and uses the same sequence of steps for all models. The steps include kinematics, strain, rigid body deformation, internal loads, external loads, equilibrium, constitutive equations, and structural design. The text uses MATLAB® scripts to calculate analytic and approximated solutions of the considered mechanical models. Computational Solid Mechanics: Variational Formulation and High Order Approximation presents mechanical models, their main hypothesis, and applications, and is intended for graduate and undergraduate engineering students taking courses in solid mechanics.

This book offers a mathematical update of the state of the art of the research in the field of mathematical and numerical models of the circulatory system. It is structured into different chapters, written by outstanding experts in the field. Many fundamental issues are considered, such as: the mathematical representation of vascular geometries extracted from medical images, modelling blood rheology and the complex multilayer structure of the vascular tissue, and its possible pathologies, the mechanical and chemical interaction between blood and vascular walls, and the different scales coupling local and systemic dynamics. All of these topics introduce challenging mathematical and numerical problems, demanding for advanced analysis and efficient simulation techniques, and pay constant attention to applications of relevant clinical interest. This book is addressed to graduate students and researchers in the field of bioengineering, applied mathematics and medicine, wishing to engage themselves in the fascinating task of modeling the cardiovascular system or, more broadly, physiological flows.