Hans A. Eschenauer – författare

This volume provides an up-to-date overview of major advances, emerging trends, and projected industrial applications in the field of multidisciplinary optimization. It concentrates on the current status of the field, exposes commonalities, innovative, promising, and speculative methods. This book provides a view of today’s multidisciplinary optimization environment through a balenced theoretical and practical treatment. The contributors are the foremost authorities in each area of specialisation.

In recent years, the Finite Element Methods FEM were more and more employed in development and design departments as very fast working tools in order to determine stresses, deformations, eigenfrequencies etc. for all kinds of constructions under complex loading conditions. Meanwhile. very effective software systems have been developed by various research teams although some mathematical problems (e. g. convergence) have not been solved satisfac­ torily yet. In order to make further advances and to find a common language between mathe­ maticians and mechanicians the "Society for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics" (GAMM) agreed on the foundation of a special Committee: "Discretization Methods in Solid Mechanics" focussing on the following problems: - Structuring of various methods (displacement functions, hybrid and mixed approaches, etc. >, - Survey of approach functions (Lagrange-/Hermite-polynominals, Spline-functions), - Description of singularities, - Convergence and stability, - Practical and theoretical optimality to all mentioned issues (single and interacting). One of the basic aims of the GAMM-Committee is the interdisciplinary cooperation between mechanicians, mathematicians, and users which shall be intensified. Thus, on September 22, 1985 the committee decided to hold a seminar on "Structural Optimization" in order to allow an exchange of experiences and thoughts between the experts of finite element methods and those of structural optimization. A GAMM-seminar entitled "Discretization Methods and Structural Optimization - Procedures and Applications" was hold on October 5-7, 1988 at the Unversity of Siegen.

Covering a range of topics in engineering optimization, concerning research procedures and applications, this book may also contribute new ideas and concepts in a world of ever-decreasing natural resources and an ever-increasing demand for lighter yet stronger and safer technical components. The contributions can be grouped under the following five main topics: shape and layout optimization, structural optimization with advanced materials, optimal designs with special structural and material behaviour, sensitivity program systems and optimization with stability constraints and special problems. This book of proceedings on mechanical engineering, civil engineering, off-shore engineering, applied mathematics, engineering design and computational mechanics is intended for engineers and advanced students.

In recent years, the Finite Element Methods FEM were more and more employed in development and design departments as very fast working tools in order to determine stresses, deformations, eigenfrequencies etc. for all kinds of constructions under complex loading conditions. Meanwhile. very effective software systems have been developed by various research teams although some mathematical problems (e. g. convergence) have not been solved satisfac­ torily yet. In order to make further advances and to find a common language between mathe­ maticians and mechanicians the "Society for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics" (GAMM) agreed on the foundation of a special Committee: "Discretization Methods in Solid Mechanics" focussing on the following problems: - Structuring of various methods (displacement functions, hybrid and mixed approaches, etc. >, - Survey of approach functions (Lagrange-/Hermite-polynominals, Spline-functions), - Description of singularities, - Convergence and stability, - Practical and theoretical optimality to all mentioned issues (single and interacting). One of the basic aims of the GAMM-Committee is the interdisciplinary cooperation between mechanicians, mathematicians, and users which shall be intensified. Thus, on September 22, 1985 the committee decided to hold a seminar on "Structural Optimization" in order to allow an exchange of experiences and thoughts between the experts of finite element methods and those of structural optimization. A GAMM-seminar entitled "Discretization Methods and Structural Optimization - Procedures and Applications" was hold on October 5-7, 1988 at the Unversity of Siegen.

These proceedings contain the texts of 37 contributions presented at the International Conference on Engineering Optimization in an Industrial Environment, which took place on 3 - 4 September 1990 at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Hesearch Center, I~H Germany. The presentations consisted of oral and poster contributions arranged in five sessions: • Shape and layout optimization • Structural optimization with advanced materials • Optimal designs with special structural and material beha viour • Sensitivity analysis - Programme systems • Optimization with stability constraints - Special problems The editors wish to express their appreciation to all authors and invited speakers for their in­ teresting contributions. The proceedings cover a wide range of topics in structural optimization representing the present state of the art in the fields of research and in the industrial environment as well. The editors hope that this book will also contribute towards new ideas and concepts in a world of ever decreasing natural resources and ever increasing demands for lighter and yet stronger and safer technical components. I"inally, the editors wish to thank all colleagues who helped in the organisation of the conference, especially Mrs. E. Schroder anq Dr. K.llethge, as well as Mr. A. von lIagen and Mrs. E. Haufelder, Springer Publishing Company, Heidelberg for the good cooperation and help in the publication of these proceedings.