The interest of the applied mechanics community in chaotic dynamics of engineering systems has exploded in the last fifteen years, although research activity on nonlinear dynamical problems in mechanics started well before the end of the Eighties. It developed first within the general context of the classical theory of nonlinear oscillations, or nonlinear vibrations, and of the relevant engineering applications. This was an extremely fertile field in terms of formulation of mechanical and mathematical models, of development of powerful analytical techniques, and of understanding of a number of basic nonlinear phenomena. At about the same time, meaningful theoretical results highlighting new solution methods and new or complex phenomena in the dynamics of deterministic systems were obtained within dynamical systems theory by means of sophisticated geometrical and computational techniques. In recent years, careful experimental studies have been made to establish the actual occurrence and observability of the predicted dynamic phenomena, as it is vitally needed in all engineering fields. Complex dynamics have been shown to characterize the behaviour of a great number of nonlinear mechanical systems, ranging from aerospace engineering applications to naval applications, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, robotics and biomechanics, and other areas. The International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics grasped the importance of such complex phenomena in the Eighties, when the first IUTAM Symposium devoted to the general topic of nonlinear and chaotic dynamics in applied mechanics and engineering was held in Stuttgart (1989).

This is a state-of-the-art treatise on the problems of both nonlinearity and uncertainty in the dynamics and control of engineering systems. The concept of dynamics and control implies the combination of dynamic analysis and control synthesis. It is essential to gain insight into the dynamics of a nonlinear system with uncertainty if any new control strategy is designed to utilize nonlinearity.

Non-linear stochastic systems are at the center of many engineering disciplines and progress in theoretical research had led to a better understanding of non-linear phenomena. This book provides information on new fundamental results and their applications which are beginning to appear across the entire spectrum of mechanics. The outstanding points of these proceedings are Coherent compendium of the current state of modelling and analysis of non-linear stochastic systems from engineering, applied mathematics and physics point of view. Subject areas include: Multiscale phenomena, stability and bifurcations, control and estimation, computational methods and modelling. For the Engineering and Physics communities, this book will provide first-hand information on recent mathematical developments. The applied mathematics community will benefit from the modelling and information on various possible applications.

This volume contains the invited papers presented at the IUTAM Symposium on Multibody Dynamics and Interaction Control in Virtual and Real Environments held in Budapest, Hungary, June 7−11 2010. The symposium aimed to bring together specialists in the fields of multibody system modeling, contact/collision mechanics and control of mechanical systems. The offered topics included modeling aspects, mechanical and mathematical models, the question of neglections and simplifications, reduction of large systems, interaction with environment like air, water and obstacles, contact of all types, control concepts, control stability and optimization. Discussions between experts in these fields made it possible to exchange ideas about the recent advances in multibody system modeling and interaction control, as well as about the possible future trends. The presentations of recent scientific results may facilitate the interaction between scientific areas like system/control engineering and mechanical engineering. Papers on dynamics modeling and interaction control were selected to cover the main areas: mathematical modeling, dynamic analysis, friction modeling, solid and thermomechanical aspects, and applications. A significant outcome of the meeting was the opening towards applications that are of key importance to the future of nonlinear dynamics.

Integrating macroscopic properties with observations at lower levels, this book details advances in multiscale modelling and analysis pertaining to classes of composites which either have a wider range of relevant microstructural scales, such as metals, or do not have a very well-defined microstructure, e.g. cementitious or ceramic composites. The IUTAM symposia proceedings provide a platform for extensive further discussion and research.

This volume contains the proceedings of the IUTAM Symposium on Elastohydrodynamics and Microelastohydrodynamics held in Cardiff from 1-3 September 2004. It contains 31 articles by leading researchers in the field. The symposium focused on theoretical, experimental and computational issues in elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) both in relation to smooth surfaces and in situations where the film is of the same order or thinner than the surface roughness (micro-EHL). The last IUTAM Symposium in this general area of contact of deformable bodies was in 1974. The emphasis in the Symposium was upon fundamental issues such as: solution methods; lubricant rheological models, thermal effects; both low and high elastic modulus situations; human and replacement joints; fluid traction; dynamic effects, asperity lubrication and the failure of lubrication; surface fatigue and thermal distress under EHL conditions. The book will be useful to those active in basic elastohydrodynamics research who wish to gain an up-to-date understanding of the subject from leading experts in the field.

This volume offers edited papers presented at the IUTAM-Symposium Topological design optimization of structures, machines and materials - status and perspectives, October 2005. The papers cover the application of topological design optimization to fluid-solid interaction problems, acoustics problems, and to problems in biomechanics, as well as to other multiphysics problems. Also in focus are new basic modelling paradigms, covering new geometry modelling such as level-set methods and topological derivatives.

This book collects peer-reviewed lectures of the IUTAM Symposium on the 100th anniversary of Boundary Layer research. No other reference of this calibre, on this topic, is likely to be published for the next decade. Covers classification, definition and mathematics of boundary layers; instability of boundary layers and transition; boundary layers control; turbulent boundary layers; numerical treatment and boundary layer modelling; special effects in boundary layers.

This book presents, in a unified manner, a variety of topics in Continuum and Fracture Mechanics: energy methods, conservation laws, mathematical methods to solve two-dimensional and three-dimensional crack problems. Moreover, a series of new subjects is presented in a straightforward manner, accessible to under-graduate students. Emphasizing physical or experimental back-grounds, then analysis and theoretical results, this monograph is intended for use by students and researchers in solid mechanics, mechanical engineering and applied mathematics.

The essential aim of this book is to consider a wide set of problems arising in the mathematical modeling of mechanical systems under unilateral constraints. In these investigations elastic and non-elastic deformations, friction and adhesion phenomena are taken into account. All the necessary mathematical tools are given: local boundary value problem formulations, construction of variational equations and inequalities and their transition to minimization problems, existence and uniqueness theorems, and variational transformations (Friedrichs and Young-Fenchel-Moreau) to dual and saddle-point search problems.