This book originally appeared as a text prepared for the Defense Nuclear Agency to summarize research on dynamic pulse buckling, by the authors and their colleagues at SRI International, during the period from 1960 to 1980. The original printing of 300 copies by the DNA Press was followed shortly by a small second printing to meet the demand by readers who heard of the book from the primary recipients. This supply was also quickly exhausted, to researchers and practicing engineers outside the DNA community and to academics who wanted to include the material in courses on elastic and plastic stability of structures. Commercial publication by Martinus Nijhoff Publishers was therefore undertaken to meet the needs of this broader community. The objective of the book was to gather into a cohesive whole material that had been published in reports and the open literature during the two decade period. In the process of knitting this material together, a substantial amount of new work was done. The book therefore contains many new results never published in the open literature.

This monograph will be valuable for English-speaking scientists wanting to know more about the state-of-the-art in Russian research on non-linear shell theory. It will also be of value to all materials scientists concerned with the use and behaviour of composite materials in structural applications.

Structural Impact is concerned with the behaviour of structures and components subjected to large dynamic, impact and explosive loads which produce inelastic deformations. It is of interest for safety calculations, hazard assessments and energy absorbing systems throughout industry. The first five chapters introduce the rigid plastic methods of analysis for the static behaviour and the dynamic response of beams, plates and shells. The influence of transverse shear, rotatory inertia, finite displacements and dynamic material properties are introduced and studied in some detail. Dynamic progressive buckling, which develops in several energy absorbing systems, and the phenomenon of dynamic plastic buckling are introduced. Scaling laws are discussed which are important for relating the response of small-scale experimental tests to the dynamic behaviour of full-scale prototypes. This text is invaluable to undergraduates, graduates and professionals learning about the behaviour of structures subjected to large impact, dynamic and blast loadings producing an inelastic response.

* Edited by Josef Singer, the world's foremost authority on structural buckling. * Time-saving and cost-effective design data for all structural, mechanical, and aerospace engineering researchers.