Springer Series in Computational Mechanics – serie

The analysis of plates and shells under static and dynamic loads is of greatinterest to scientists and engineers both from the theoretical and the practical viewpoint. The Boun- dary Element Method (BEM) has some distinct advantages over domain techniques such as the Finite Difference Method (FDM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM) for a wide class of structuralanalysis problems. This is the first book to deal specifically with the analysis of plates and shells by the BEM and to cover all aspects of their behaviour, and combi- nes tutorial and state-of-the-art articles on the BEM as ap- plied to plates and shells. It aims to inform scientists and engineers about the use and the advantages of this techni- que, the most recent developments in the field and the per- tinent literature for further study.

The editors have published a select group of full length papers on boundary element analysis (BEA) photographed from camera ready manuscripts. The articles have been prepared by some of the most distinguished and prolific individuals in this field. More than half of these articles have been submitted by authors that participated in an International Forum on Boundary Element Methods, in Melbourne Australia, in the Summer of 1991. However, this volume is not a conference proceedings, as these authors have expanded their accounts to chapter length, and/or have tailored their expositions more toward the style employed in archival journal publications. The authors that did not participate in the International Forum have also adhered to the above mentioned philosophy. This work contains a definitive representation of the significant capabilities and applications currently available or under investigation that fall under the general category of advanced boundary element analysis. With treatments of mechanical, thermal, fluid, and electromagnetic phenomena, this book should thus be of value to graduate students, practitioners, and researchers in engineering, mathematics, and the physical sciences wishing to obtain a broader perspective or remain current in these important areas of computational simulation.

This monograph is intended to provide a snapshot of the status and opportunities for advan­ cement in the technologies of dynamics and control oflarge flexible spacecraft structures. It is a reflection ofthe serious dialog and assessments going on all over the world,across a wide variety of scientific and technical disciplines, as we contemplate the next major milestone in mankind's romance with space: the transition from exploration and experimentation to commercial and defense exploitation. This exploitation is already in full swing in the space communications area. Both military and civilian objectives are being pursued with increasingly more sophisticated systems such as large antenna reflectors with active shape control. Both the NATO and Warsaw pact alliances are pursuing permanent space stations in orbit: large structural systems whose development calls for in-situ fabrication and/or assembly and whose operation will demand innovations in controls technology. The last ten years have witnessed a fairly brisk research activity in the dynamics and control oflarge space structures in orderto establish a technology base forthe development of advanced spacecraft systems envisioned for the future. They have spanned a wide spectrum of activity from fundamental methods development to systems concept studies and laboratory experimentation and demonstrations. Some flight experiments have also been conducted for various purposes such as the characterization of the space enviroment, durability of materials and devices in that environment, assembly and repair operations, and the dynamic behavior of flexible structures. It is this last area that has prompted this monogram.

Shell structures and their components are applied in many engineering fields. Designers are attaching ever increasing importance to nonlinear responses such as large deformations, instabilities and nonlinear material properties in their design analysis. This volume presents a careful selection of papers from the ICES '88 Conference covering various aspects of nonlinear shell responses.