The subject of random vibrations of elastic systems has gained, over the past decades, great importance, specifically due to its relevance to technical problems in hydro- and aero-mechanics. Such problems involve aircraft, rockets and oil-drilling platforms; elastic vibrations of structures caused by acoustic radiation of a jet stream and by seismic disturbances must also be included. Appli cations of the theory of random vibrations are indeed numerous and the development of this theory poses a challenge to mathematicians, mechanicists and engineers. Therefore, a book on random vibrations by a leading authority such as Dr. V.V. Bolotin must be very welcome to anybody working in this field. It is not surprising that efforts were soon made to have the book translated into English. With pleasure I acknowledge the co-operation of the very competent translater, I Shenkman; of Mrs. C. Jones, who typeJ the first draft; and of Th. Brunsting, P. Keskikiikonen and R. Piche, who read it and suggested where required, corrections and changes. I express my gratitude to Martinus Nijhoff Publishers BV for entrust ing me with the task of editing the English translation, and to F.J. van Drunen, publishers of N. Nijhoff Publishers BV, who so kindly supported my endeavours. Special acknowledgement is due to Mrs. L. Strouth, Solid Mechanics Division, University of Waterloo, for her competent and efficient preparation of the final manuscript.

This Book Presents The Topic Of Vibtations Comprehensively In Terms Of Principles Of Dynamics- Forces, Responses, Analysis, Solutions, Examples, Measurement, Interpretation, Control And Probabilistic Approaches. Idealised Discrete Systems As Well As Continuous Systems Are Discussed In Detail. A Wide Array Of Numerical Methods Used In Vibration Analysis Are Presented In View Of Their Enormous Popularity, Adaptability Using Personal Computers. A Large Number Of Examples Have Been Worked Out To Help An Easy Understanding Of Even The Difficult Topics In Vibration Analysis And Control.

I became interested in Random Vibration during the preparation of my PhD dissertation, which was concerned with the seismic response of nuclear reactor cores. I was initiated into this field through the cla.ssical books by Y.K.Lin, S.H.Crandall and a few others. After the completion of my PhD, in 1981, my supervisor M.Gera.din encouraged me to prepare a course in Random Vibration for fourth and fifth year students in Aeronautics, at the University of Liege. There was at the time very little material available in French on that subject. A first draft was produced during 1983 and 1984 and revised in 1986. These notes were published by the Presses Poly techniques et Universitaires Romandes (Lausanne, Suisse) in 1990. When Kluwer decided to publish an English translation ofthe book in 1992, I had to choose between letting Kluwer translate the French text in-extenso or doing it myself, which would allow me to carry out a sustantial revision of the book. I took the second option and decided to rewrite or delete some of the original text and include new material, based on my personal experience, or reflecting recent technical advances. Chapter 6, devoted to the response of multi degree offreedom structures, has been completely rewritten, and Chapter 11 on random fatigue is entirely new. The computer programs which have been developed in parallel with these chapters have been incorporated in the general purpose finite element software SAMCEF, developed at the University of Liege.

Modern engineering materials subjected to unfavorable mechanical and environmental conditions decrease in strength due to the accumulation of microstructural changes. For example, considering damage in metals we can mention creep damage, ductile plastic damage, embrittlement of steels and fatigue damage. To properly estimate the value of damage when designing reliable structures it is necessary to formulate the damage phenomenon in terms of mechanics. Then it is possible to analyse various engineering problems using analytical and computational techniques. During the last two decades the basic principles of continuum damage mechanics were formulated and some special problems were solved. Many scientific papers were published and several conferences on damage mechanics took place. Now continuum damage mechanics is rapidly developing branch of fracture mechanics. This book is probably the first one on the subject; it contains a sys tematic description of the basic aspects of damage mechanics and some of its applications. In general, a theoretical description of damage can be rather compli cated. The experiments in this field are difficult (especially under multiax ial stress and non-proportional loading). Therefore, experimental data, as a rule, are scarce. Determination of functions and constants, which play a role in the complex variants of the theory, from available experimental data is often practically impossible. ix L.M. Kachanov The problems of damage mechanics are mainly engineering ones. Therefore, the author tries to avoid superfluous mathematical formalism. Some more details of the book's subject can be found in the list of con tents.

Addressing important practical aspects of nonlinear vibration analysis, this book presents cases rarely discussed in the existing literature yet are of considerable interest to researchers and practical engineers, such as rotor dynamics and torsional vibration of engines. The book can be used not only as a reference, but also as a graduate-level text, as it develops the subject from its foundations and contains problems and solutions for each chapter. The book begins with a discussion of vibrations in linear systems with one degree of freedom, providing a mathematical and physical basis for the subsequent chapters. Linear systems with many degrees of freedom serve to introduce the modal analysis of vibrations as well as some useful computational procedures. The book then turns to continuous linear systems, discussing both analytical solutions that provide physical insights as well as discretization techniques that supply tools for actual computation. The discussion of nonlinear vibrations includes a treatment of chaotic vibrations and other new insights. The book concludes with detailed discussions of the dynamics of rotating and reciprocating machinery.

This volume presents technical papers devoted to development and practical use of computer methods in geotechnical and geoenviromental engineering. It covers issues on space use and construction, soil and rock mechanics, and mining applications amongst other topics.

Every so often, a reference book appears that stands apart from all others, destined to become the definitive work in its field. The Vibration and Shock Handbook is just such a reference. From its ambitious scope to its impressive list of contributors, this handbook delivers all of the techniques, tools, instrumentation, and data needed to model, analyze, monitor, modify, and control vibration, shock, noise, and acoustics. Providing convenient, thorough, up-to-date, and authoritative coverage, the editor summarizes important and complex concepts and results into “snapshot” windows to make quick access to this critical information even easier. The Handbook’s nine sections encompass: fundamentals and analytical techniques; computer techniques, tools, and signal analysis; shock and vibration methodologies; instrumentation and testing; vibration suppression, damping, and control; monitoring and diagnosis; seismic vibration and related regulatory issues; system design, application, and control implementation; and acoustics and noise suppression. The book also features an extensive glossary and convenient cross-referencing, plus references at the end of each chapter. Brimming with illustrations, equations, examples, and case studies, the Vibration and Shock Handbook is the most extensive, practical, and comprehensive reference in the field. It is a must-have for anyone, beginner or expert, who is serious about investigating and controlling vibration and acoustics.

The IUTAM Symposium on Probabilistic Methods in the Mechanics of Solids and Structures, dedicated to the memory of Waloddi Weibull, was held in Stockholm, Sweden, June 19-21, 1984, on the initiative of the Swedish National Committee for Mech anics and the Aeronautical Research Institute of Sweden, FFA. The purpose of the symposium was to bring together mathema ticians that develop the theory of stochastic processes and methods for reliability analysis, with engineers that apply these theories and methods to model loads, strengths and structures for the advancement of structural safety. Waloddi Weibull was a pioneer in this field with his many publi cations from the thirties until his death in 1979. He also took an active part in the formation of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics during the forties, and subsequently initiated foundation of the Swedish National Committee for Mechanics, through which Sweden joined IUTAM as a member. 116 participants from 21 countries attended the symposium, and 55 invited papers were presented in 7 scientific sessions.