This book presents a collection of papers prepared by the researches of the Institute for Problems in Mechanical Engineering of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPME RAS) on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Institute. The IPME RAS is one of the leading research institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and consists of 18 research units (laboratories). The chapters cover the main research directions of the institute, including nano-,micro-, meso- and macro- mechanics and materials, with ,special emphasis on the problems of strength of materials and service life of structures.

This volume of proceedings consists of invited papers on the following and related subject areas: Composite Materials; Experimental Methods in Stress Analysis; Fracture Mechanics; Structural Stability; Non-Linear Behaviour of Materials and Structures; Plasticity; Numerical Methods; Structural Dynamics.

From the characterization of materials to accelerated life testing, experimentation with solids and structures is present in all stages of the design of mechanical devices. Sometimes only an experimental model can bring the necessary elements for understanding, the physics under study just being too complex for an efficient numerical model. This book presents the classical tools in the experimental approach to mechanical engineering, as well as the methods that have revolutionized the field over the past 20 years: photomechanics, signal processing, statistical data analysis, design of experiments, uncertainty analysis, etc. Experimental Mechanics of Solids and Structures also replaces mechanical testing in a larger context: firstly, that of the experimental model, with its own hypotheses; then that of the knowledge acquisition process, which is structured and robust; finally, that of a reliable analysis of the results obtained, in a context where uncertainty could be important.

The objective of this work on the mechanics of aeronautical solids, materials and structures is to give an overview of the principles necessary for sizing of structures in the aeronautical field. It begins by introducing the classical notions of mechanics: stress, strain, behavior law, and sizing criteria, with an emphasis on the criteria specific to aeronautics, such as limit loads and ultimate loads. Methods of resolution are then presented, and in particular the finite element method. Plasticity is also covered in order to highlight its influence on the sizing of structures, and in particular its benefits for design criteria. Finally, the physics of the two main materials of aeronautical structures, namely aluminum and composite materials, is approached in order to clarify the sizing criteria stated in the previous chapters. Exercises, with detailed corrections, then make it possible for the reader to test their understanding of the different subjects.

Plates and panels are primary components in many structures including space vehicles, aircraft, automobiles, buildings, bridge decks, ships and submarines. The ability to design, analyse, optimise and select the proper materials for these structures is a necessity for structural designers, analysts and researchers. This text consists of four parts. The first deals with plates of isotropic (metallic and polymeric) materials. The second involves composite material plates, including anisotropy and laminate considerations. The third section treats sandwich constructions of various types, and the final section gives an introduction to plates involving piezoelectric materials, in which the "smart" or "intelligent" materials are used as actuators or sensors. In each section, the formulations encompass plate structures subjected to static loads, dynamic loads, buckling, thermal/moisture environments, and minimum weight structural optimisation. This is a textbook for a graduate course, an undergraduate senior course and a reference. Many homework problems are given in various chapters.

III European Conference on Computational Mechanics: Solids, Structures and Coupled Problem in Engineering Computational Mechanics in Solid, Structures and Coupled Problems in Engineering is today a mature science with applications to major industrial projects. This book contains the edited version of the Abstracts of Plenary and Keynote Lectures and Papers, and a companion CD-ROM with the full-length papers, presented at the III European Conference on Computational Mechanics: Solids, Structures and Coupled Problems in Engineering (ECCM-2006), held in the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering, Lisbon, Portugal 5th - 8th June 2006. The book reflects the state-of-art of Computation Mechanics in Solids, Structures and Coupled Problems in Engineering and it includes contributions by the world most active researchers in this field.

This book deals with various computational procedures for multiple repeated analyses (reanalysis) of structures, and presents them in a unified approach. It meets the need for a general text covering the basic concepts and methods as well as recent developments in this area. To clarify the presentation, many illustrative examples and numerical results are demonstrated. Previous books on structural analysis do not cover most of the material presented here.

This volume presents state-of-the-art reports on the theory, and current and future applications of control of distributed parameter systems. The papers cover the progress not only in traditional methodology and pure research in control theory, but also the rapid growth of its importance for different applications. This title will be of interest to researchers working in the areas of mathematics, automatic control, computer science and engineering.