Variational Calculus With Engineering Applications

A comprehensive overview of foundational variational methods for problems in engineering Variational calculus is a field in which small alterations in functions and functionals are used to find their relevant maxima and minima. It is a potent tool for addressing a range of dynamic problems with otherwise counter-intuitive solutions, particularly ones incorporating multiple confounding variables. Its value in engineering fields, where materials and geometric configurations can produce highly specific problems with unconventional or unintuitive solutions, is considerable. Variational Calculus with Engineering Applications provides a comprehensive survey of this toolkit and its engineering applications. Balancing theory and practice, it offers a thorough and accessible introduction to the field pioneered by Euler, Lagrange and Hamilton, offering tools that can be every bit as powerful as the better-known Newtonian mechanics. It is an indispensable resource for those looking for engineering-oriented overview of a subject whose capacity to provide engineering solutions is only increasing. Variational Calculus with Engineering Applications readers will also find: Discussion of subjects including variational principles, levitation, geometric dynamics, and more Examples and instructional problems in every Chapter, along with MAPLE codes for performing the simulations described in each Engineering applications based on simple, curvilinear, and multiple integral functionals Variational Calculus with Engineering Applications is ideal for advanced students, researchers, and instructors in engineering and materials science.

This book reflects the strong connection between calculus of variations and the applications for which variational methods form the foundation.

The subject of calculus of variations is to find optimal solutions to engineering problems where the optimum may be a certain quantity, a shape, or a function. Applied Calculus of Variations for Engineers addresses this very important mathematical area applicable to many engineering disciplines. Its unique, application-oriented approach sets it apart from the theoretical treatises of most texts. It is aimed at enhancing the engineer’s understanding of the topic as well as aiding in the application of the concepts in a variety of engineering disciplines. The first part of the book presents the fundamental variational problem and its solution via the Euler–Lagrange equation. It also discusses variational problems subject to constraints, the inverse problem of variational calculus, and the direct solution techniques of variational problems, such as the Ritz, Galerkin, and Kantorovich methods. With an emphasis on applications, the second part details the geodesic concept of differential geometry and its extensions to higher order spaces. It covers the variational origin of natural splines and the variational formulation of B-splines under various constraints. This section also focuses on analytic and computational mechanics, explaining classical mechanical problems and Lagrange’s equations of motion.

The purpose of the calculus of variations is to find optimal solutions to engineering problems whose optimum may be a certain quantity, shape, or function. Applied Calculus of Variations for Engineers addresses this important mathematical area applicable to many engineering disciplines. Its unique, application-oriented approach sets it apart from the theoretical treatises of most texts, as it is aimed at enhancing the engineer’s understanding of the topic. This Second Edition text: Contains new chapters discussing analytic solutions of variational problems and Lagrange-Hamilton equations of motion in depth Provides new sections detailing the boundary integral and finite element methods and their calculation techniques Includes enlightening new examples, such as the compression of a beam, the optimal cross section of beam under bending force, the solution of Laplace’s equation, and Poisson’s equation with various methods Applied Calculus of Variations for Engineers, Second Edition extends the collection of techniques aiding the engineer in the application of the concepts of the calculus of variations.

There is a resurgence of applications in which the calculus of variations has direct relevance. In addition to application to solid mechanics and dynamics, it is now being applied in a variety of numerical methods, numerical grid generation, modern physics, various optimization settings and fluid dynamics. Many applications, such as nonlinear optimal control theory applied to continuous systems, have only recently become tractable computationally, with the advent of advanced algorithms and large computer systems. This book reflects the strong connection between calculus of variations and the applications for which variational methods form the fundamental foundation. The mathematical fundamentals of calculus of variations (at least those necessary to pursue applications) is rather compact and is contained in a single chapter of the book. The majority of the text consists of applications of variational calculus for a variety of fields.

VARIATIONAL CALCULUS WITH ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS A comprehensive overview of foundational variational methods for problems in engineering Variational calculus is a field in which small alterations in functions and functionals are used to find their relevant maxima and minima. It is a potent tool for addressing a range of dynamic problems with otherwise counter-intuitive solutions, particularly ones incorporating multiple confounding variables. Its value in engineering fields, where materials and geometric configurations can produce highly specific problems with unconventional or unintuitive solutions, is considerable. Variational Calculus with Engineering Applications provides a comprehensive survey of this toolkit and its engineering applications. Balancing theory and practice, it offers a thorough and accessible introduction to the field pioneered by Euler, Lagrange and Hamilton, offering tools that can be every bit as powerful as the better-known Newtonian mechanics. It is an indispensable resource for those looking for engineering-oriented overview of a subject whose capacity to provide engineering solutions is only increasing. Variational Calculus with Engineering Applications readers will also find: Discussion of subjects including variational principles, levitation, geometric dynamics, and more Examples and instructional problems in every chapter, along with MAPLE codes for performing the simulations described in each Engineering applications based on simple, curvilinear, and multiple integral functionals Variational Calculus with Engineering Applications is ideal for advanced students, researchers, and instructors in engineering and materials science.

This book by Robert Weinstock was written to fill the need for a basic introduction to the calculus of variations. Simply and easily written, with an emphasis on the applications of this calculus, it has long been a standard reference of physicists, engineers, and applied mathematicians. The author begins slowly, introducing the reader to the calculus of variations, and supplying lists of essential formulae and derivations. Later chapters cover isoperimetric problems, geometrical optics, Fermat's principle, dynamics of particles, the Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue-eigenfunction problem, the theory of elasticity, quantum mechanics, and electrostatics. Each chapter ends with a series of exercises which should prove very useful in determining whether the material in that chapter has been thoroughly grasped. The clarity of exposition makes this book easily accessible to anyone who has mastered first-year calculus with some exposure to ordinary differential equations. Physicists and engineers who find variational methods evasive at times will find this book particularly helpful. "I regard this as a very useful book which I shall refer to frequently in the future." J. L. Synge, Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society.

Maxima and minima -- Introductory problems of the variational calculus -- Euler-Lagrange development with applications -- Hamilton's principle and Lagrange's equations -- Deformable bodies : theory of elasticity -- Energy principles, methods, and applications -- Rayleigh-Ritz method -- Methods of Galerkin, Kantorovich, and Euler -- Appendix : Summation convention and Cartesian tensors.