Research Directions In Computational Mechanics

Computational mechanics is a scientific discipline that marries physics, computers, and mathematics to emulate natural physical phenomena. It is a technology that allows scientists to study and predict the performance of various productsâ€"important for research and development in the industrialized world. This book describes current trends and future research directions in computational mechanics in areas where gaps exist in current knowledge and where major advances are crucial to continued technological developments in the United States.

This Festschrift is dedicated to Professor Dr.-Ing. habil. Peter Wriggers on the occasion of his 60th birthday. It contains contributions from friends and collaborators as well as current and former PhD students from almost all continents. As a very diverse group of people, the authors cover a wide range of topics from fundamental research to industrial applications: contact mechanics, finite element technology, micromechanics, multiscale approaches, particle methods, isogeometric analysis, stochastic methods and further research interests. In summary, the volume presents an overview of the international state of the art in computational mechanics, both in academia and industry.

The subject of Computational Contact Mechanics has many facets. Its main impact lies in the transfer of knowledge form theoretical research to applied sciences, and from there to industry. The application fields are literally countless, ranging from classical engineering to biomechanics and nano-sciences. The remarkable increase of computer power in recent years has been instrumental in enabling the development of simulation-based analysis in current design activity. This still involves tremendous effort in research, which focuses on, for example, multi-field and multi-scale problems, algorithmic robustness, and geometrical accuracy. Moreover, several aspects of Contact Mechanics, Debonding and Fracture Mechanics, have been combined to offer new enhanced possibilities to the computer simulation of complex phenomena. With these contributions of prominent scientists, this book offers a wide overview on the ongoing research at the highest level in the field.

This volume presents selected papers from the 7th International Congress on Computational Mechanics and Simulation held at IIT Mandi, India. The papers discuss the development of mathematical models representing physical phenomena and applying modern computing methods and simulations to analyse them. The studies cover recent advances in the fields of nano mechanics and biomechanics, simulations of multiscale and multiphysics problems, developments in solid mechanics and finite element method, advancements in computational fluid dynamics and transport phenomena, and applications of computational mechanics and techniques in emerging areas. The volume will be of interest to researchers and academics from civil engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, materials engineering/science, physics, mathematics and other disciplines.

Multibody Dynamics is an area of Computational Mechanics which blends together various disciplines such as structural dynamics, multi-physics - chanics, computational mathematics, control theory and computer science, in order to deliver methods and tools for the virtual prototyping of complex mechanical systems. Multibody dynamics plays today a central role in the modeling, analysis, simulation and optimization of mechanical systems in a variety of ?elds and for a wide range of industrial applications. The ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics was ini- ated in Lisbon in 2003, and then continued in Madrid in 2005 with the goal of providing researchers in Multibody Dynamics with appropriate venues for exchanging ideas and results. The third edition of the Conference was held at the Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy, from June 25 to June 28, 2007. The Conference saw the participation of over 250 researchers from 32 di?- ent countries, presenting 209 technical papers, and proved to be an excellent forum for discussion and technical exchange on the most recent advances in this rapidly growing ?eld.

Introduction to Computational Contact Mechanics: A GeometricalApproach covers the fundamentals of computational contactmechanics and focuses on its practical implementation. Part one ofthis textbook focuses on the underlying theory and covers essentialinformation about differential geometry and mathematical methodswhich are necessary to build the computational algorithmindependently from other courses in mechanics. The geometricallyexact theory for the computational contact mechanics is describedin step-by-step manner, using examples of strict derivation from amathematical point of view. The final goal of the theory is toconstruct in the independent approximation form /so-calledcovariant form, including application to high-order andisogeometric finite elements. The second part of a book is a practical guide for programming ofcontact elements and is written in such a way that makes it easyfor a programmer to implement using any programming language. Allprogramming examples are accompanied by a set of verificationexamples allowing the user to learn the research verificationtechnique, essential for the computational contact analysis. Key features: Covers the fundamentals of computational contact mechanics Covers practical programming, verification and analysis ofcontact problems Presents the geometrically exact theory for computationalcontact mechanics Describes algorithms used in well-known finite element softwarepackages Describes modeling of forces as an inverse contactalgorithm Includes practical exercises Contains unique verification examples such as the generalizedEuler formula for a rope on a surface, and the impact problem andverification of thå percussion center Accompanied by a website hosting software Introduction to Computational Contact Mechanics: A GeometricalApproach is an ideal textbook for graduates and seniorundergraduates, and is also a useful reference for researchers andpractitioners working in computational mechanics.

Computational Mechanics of Composite Materials lays stress on the advantages of combining theoretical advancements in applied mathematics and mechanics with the probabilistic approach to experimental data in meeting the practical needs of engineers. Features: Programs for the probabilistic homogenisation of composite structures with finite numbers of components allow composites to be treated as homogeneous materials with simpler behaviours. Treatment of defects in the interfaces within heterogeneous materials and those arising in composite objects as a whole by stochastic modelling. New models for the reliability of composite structures. Novel numerical algorithms for effective Monte-Carlo simulation. Computational Mechanics of Composite Materials will be of interest to academic and practising civil, mechanical, electronic and aerospatial engineers, to materials scientists and to applied mathematicians requiring accurate and usable models of the behaviour of composite materials.