Extremely Deformable Structures

Recently, a new research stimulus has derived from the observation that soft structures, such as biological systems, but also rubber and gel, may work in a post critical regime, where elastic elements are subject to extreme deformations, though still exhibiting excellent mechanical performances. This is the realm of ‘extreme mechanics’, to which this book is addressed. The possibility of exploiting highly deformable structures opens new and unexpected technological possibilities. In particular, the challenge is the design of deformable and bi-stable mechanisms which can reach superior mechanical performances and can have a strong impact on several high-tech applications, including stretchable electronics, nanotube serpentines, deployable structures for aerospace engineering, cable deployment in the ocean, but also sensors and flexible actuators and vibration absorbers. Readers are introduced to a variety of interrelated topics involving the mechanics of extremely deformable structures, with emphasis on bifurcation, instability and nonlinear behavior, both in the quasi-static and dynamic regimes. Essential and up-to-date theoretical, numerical and experimental methodologies are covered, as a tool to progress towards a satisfactory modeling of the nonlinear behavior of structures.

The theory of waves is generalized on cases when waves change medium in which they appear and propagate. A reaction of structural elements and space objects to the dynamic actions of the different nature, durations, and intensities is studied. It considers the effects of transitions in the state and phase equations of media on the formation and propagation of extreme waves as a result of power, thermal, or laser pulsed action. The influence of cavitation and cool boiling of liquids, geometric and physical nonlinearity of walls on containers’ strength, and the formation of extreme waves is studied. The theory can be also used to optimize impulse technology, in particular, in the optimization of explosive processing of sheet metal by explosion in a liquid. This book was written for researchers and engineers, as well as graduate students in the fields of thermal fluids, aerospace, nuclear engineering, and nonlinear waves.

Behaviour of Steel Structures in Seismic Areas is a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the field of seismic resistant steel structures. It comprises a collection of papers presented at the seventh International Specialty Conference STESSA 2012 (Santiago, Chile, 9-11 January 2012), and includes the state-of-the-art in both theore

Groundbreaking and comprizing articles by expert contributors, this volume provides a comprehensive treatment of VLFSs and their relationship with the sea, marine habitats, the pollution of costal waters and tidal and natural current flow. It looks in-depth at: VLFS and the colonization of ocean space with their appearance in the waters off developed coastal cities wave properties, which is essential for estimating the loading on the VLFS as well as for modelling structure-fluid interactions hydroelastic and structural analysis of VLFS at an overall level and the cell level the analysis and design of breakwaters simulation models to understand the actual flow of water through the VLFS and to determine the drift forces for the mooring systems anti-corrosion and maintenance systems new research and developments, with emphasis on the Mega-Float, a 1 km long floating test runway. Well-illustrated with photographs, drawings, equations for mathematical modelling and analysis and extensively referenced, Very Large Floating Structures is ideal for professionals, academics and students of civil and structural engineering.

A multi-disciplinary look at the current state of knowledge regarding motor control and movement—from molecular biology to robotics The last two decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number of sophisticated tools and methodologies for exploring motor control and movement. Multi-unit recordings, molecular neurogenetics, computer simulation, and new scientific approaches for studying how muscles and body anatomy transform motor neuron activity into movement have helped revolutionize the field. Neurobiology of Motor Control brings together contributions from an interdisciplinary group of experts to provide a review of the current state of knowledge about the initiation and execution of movement, as well as the latest methods and tools for investigating them. The book ranges from the findings of basic scientists studying model organisms such as mollusks and Drosophila, to biomedical researchers investigating vertebrate motor production to neuroengineers working to develop robotic and smart prostheses technologies. Following foundational chapters on current molecular biological techniques, neuronal ensemble recording, and computer simulation, it explores a broad range of related topics, including the evolution of motor systems, directed targeted movements, plasticity and learning, and robotics. Explores motor control and movement in a wide variety of organisms, from simple invertebrates to human beings Offers concise summaries of motor control systems across a variety of animals and movement types Explores an array of tools and methodologies, including electrophysiological techniques, neurogenic and molecular techniques, large ensemble recordings, and computational methods Considers unresolved questions and how current scientific advances may be used to solve them going forward Written specifically to encourage interdisciplinary understanding and collaboration, and offering the most wide-ranging, timely, and comprehensive look at the science of motor control and movement currently available, Neurobiology of Motor Control is a must-read for all who study movement production and the neurobiological basis of movement—from molecular biologists to roboticists.

Geology – Basics for Engineers (second edition) presents the physical and chemical characteristics of the Earth, the nature and the properties of rocks and unconsolidated deposits/sediments, the action of water, how the Earth is transformed by various phenomena at different scales of time and space. The book shows the engineer how to take geological conditions into account in their projects, and how to exploit a wide range of natural resources in an intelligent way, reduce geological hazards, and manage subsurface pollution. This second edition has been fully revised and updated. Through a problem-based learning approach, this instructional text imparts knowledge and practical experience to engineering students (undergraduate and graduate level), as well as to experts in the fields of civil engineering, environmental engineering, earth sciences, architecture, land and urban planning. Free digital supplements to the book, found on the book page, contain solutions to the problems and animations that show additional facets of the living Earth. The original French edition of the book (2007) won the prestigious Roberval Prize, an international contest organized by the University of Technology of Compiegne in collaboration with the General Council of Oise, France. Geology, Basics for Engineers was selected out of a total of 110 candidates. The jury praised the book as a "very well conceived teaching textbook" and underscored its highly didactic nature, as well as the excellent quality of its illustrations. Features: Offers an exhaustive outline of the methods and techniques used in geology, with a study of the nature and properties of the principal soils and rocks Helps students understand how geological conditions should be taken into account by the engineer by taking a problem-solving approach Contains extensive figures and examples, solutions to probems, and illustrative animations Presents a highly didactic and synthetic work intended for engineering students as well as experts in civil engineering, environmental engineering, the earth sciences, and architecture

This report presents reliable techniques for modeling extremely compliant structures. The research focuses on severe geometric nonlinearities associated with very large displacements and rotations. The solution requires two major modeling improvements: formulation of well-conditioned finite elements and development of specific control strategies for nonlinear step-by-step solution. Inherent in the physics of the structure, natural events condition the new finite elements. Associated event control directs the numerical solution to adhere closely to the true nonlinear structural response path. The numerical strategies are a simple extension of the trapezoidal rule for time integration and Newton iteration for nonlinear step-by-step solution. The result is extremely fast, efficient, and stable nonlinear structural simulation. A high level of computational robustness is essential for development of fully nonlinear substructured models. A local/global approach allows each substructure to have its own specialized local submodel and its own associated local solution strategy. A global model then integrates all the super-element representations of each diverse submodel. The local/global framework allows the nonlinear solution strategies to efficiently concentrate computational power where and when needed among the submodels. Code development and test problems focus primarily on compliant marine structures, where the need for robust, highly nonlinear simulation is so great.