Since the 1980s, scientists have been researching adaptive structures for materials, for multifunctional elements or even for complete systems. Adaptronics (smart materials, smart structures, smart systems) is a field of distinct interdisciplinarity. The book therefore offers an interdisciplinary view of adaptronic systems, materials and functional elements and their applications. The subject matter integrates various engineering disciplines, from electrical engineering and information technology to manufacturing and control engineering, materials engineering and structural mechanics - to name but a few of the relevant subject areas. Starting from the basic principles and variants of adaptronic systems and functional materials, the textbook explains the different construction methods of functional elements. Building on this, readers learn how to apply this knowledge to active shape control, active vibration control and active vibroacoustics. For each of these topics the author presents current examples from research, discusses research results and future research questions. Each of the nine chapters closes with references to further literature. An index of the mathematical symbols used and a keyword index facilitate learning for readers.The book is aimed at Master's students in engineering courses such as mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, mechatronics, automotive engineering and related courses. The book provides a comprehensive overview for industrial practitioners who want to familiarize themselves with the field of adaptronics and also serves as a reliable reference book.

Adaptronics is the term encompassing technical fields that have become known internationally under the names "smart materials", "intelligent structures", and "smart structures". Adaptronics contributes to the optimisation of systems and products. It bridges the gap between material and system or product, and incorporates the search for multi-functional materials and elements and their integration in systems or structures. The authors of this book have taken on the task of displaying the current state of the art in this fascinating field. The system components, actuators, sensors and controllers, technical fundamentals, materials, design rules and practical solutions are all described. Selected sample applications are also presented and current development trends are demonstrated.

A structure is an assembly that serves an engineering function. A smart structure is one that serves this function smartly, i.e. by responding adaptively in a pre-designed useful and efficient manner to changing environmental conditions. Adaptive behaviour of one or more materials constituting a smart structure requires nonlinear response. This book describes the three main types of nonlinear-response materials: ferroic materials, soft materials, and nanostructured materials. Information processing by biological and artificial smart structures is also discussed. A smart structure typically has sensors, actuators, and a control system. Progress in all these aspects of smart structures has leant heavily on mimicking Nature, and the all-important notion in this context has been that of evolution. Artificial Darwinian and Lamarckian evolution holds the key to the development of truly smart structures. Modestly intelligent robots are already on the horizon. Projections about the low-cost availability of adequate computing power and memory size indicate that the future really belongs to smart structures. This book covers in a compact format the entire gamut of concepts relevant to smart structures. It should be of interest to a wide range of students and professionals in science and engineering.

Two key words for mechanical engineering in the future are Micro and Intelligence. It is weIl known that the leadership in the intelligence technology is a marter of vital importance for the future status of industrial society, and thus national research projects for intelligent materials, structures and machines have started not only in advanced countries, but also in developing countries. Materials and structures which have self-sensing, diagnosis and actuating systems, are called intelligent or smart, and are of growing research interest in the world. In this situation, the IUT AM symposium on Dynamics 0/ Advanced Materials and Smart Structures was a timely one. Smart materials and structures are those equipped with sensors and actuators to achieve their designed performance in achanging environment. They have complex structural properties and mechanical responses. Many engineering problems, such as interface and edge phenomena, mechanical and electro-magnetic interaction/coupling and sensing, actuating and control techniques, arise in the development ofintelligent structures. Due to the multi-disciplinary nature ofthese problems, all ofthe classical sciences and technologies, such as applied mathematics, material science, solid and fluid mechanics, control techniques and others must be assembled and used to solve them. IUTAM weIl understands the importance ofthis emerging technology. An IUTAM symposium on Smart Structures and Structronic Systems (Chaired by U.

Intelligent Materials and Structures provides exceptional insights into designing intelligent materials and structures for special applications in engineering. The author introduces the fundamental materials science involved in research endeavors and simultaneously reviews the current state-of-the-art of intelligent materials and structures. Separate chapters are devoted to the thorough examination of theory and application of laminated composite materials, Piezoelectricity, Shape Memory Alloys, Electro- and Magnetorheological fluids as well as Magneto- and Electrostrictive materials. Each chapter contains numerous equations and figures describing theories, models and behavior of the intelligent material discussed. Special attention is paid to applications of intelligent materials to various structures in the aerospace and medical sector, piezoelectric motors as well as piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy harvesting. Contents: Introduction to Intelligent Materials and Structures Laminated Composite Materials Piezoelectricity Shape Memory Alloys Electrorheological and Magnetorheological Fluids Magnetostrictive and Electrostrictive Materials Applications of Intelligent Materials in Structures Energy Harvesting using Intelligent Materials Index

This book provides readers with a timely snapshot of ergonomics research and methods applied to the design, development and prototyping – as well as the evaluation, training and manufacturing – of products, systems and services. Combining theoretical contributions, case studies, and reports on technical interventions, it covers a wide range of topics in ergonomic design including: ecological design; educational and game design; cultural and ethical aspects in design; user research and human–computer interaction in design; as well as design for accessibility and extreme environments, and many others. The book places special emphasis on new technologies such as virtual reality, state-of-the-art methodologies in information design, and human–computer interfaces. Based on the AHFE 2017 International Conference on Ergonomics in Design, held on July 17–21, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, USA, the book offers a timely guide for both researchers and design practitioners, including industrial designers, human–computer interaction and user experience researchers, production engineers and applied psychologists.

This unique compendium presents some new topics related to thin-walled structures, like beams, plates and shells used in aerospace structures. It highlights their dynamic behaviors and also the correlation between compressive loading and natural frequency to enable a correlation between the two, yielding a valuable non-destructive tool, to predict buckling for thin-walled structures.This useful reference text combines valuable data on metal materials and composite materials together with new adaptive and smart materials like piezoelectricity, shape memory alloys and optic fibers, which form the present state of the art in thin-walled structure domain.

This book focuses on smart materials and structures, which are also referred to as intelligent, adaptive, active, sensory, and metamorphic. The ultimate goal is to develop biologically inspired multifunctional materials with the capability to adapt their structural characteristics, monitor their health condition, perform self-diagnosis and self-repair, morph their shape, and undergo significant controlled motion.