It is well known that noise control at the source is the most cost-effective. Designing for quietness is therefore the most important concept in Engineering Acoustics or Technical Acoustics. The IUTAM Symposium on Designing for Quietness held at the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore in December 2000, was probably the first on this topic anywhere in the world. Papers were invited from reputed researchers and professionals spread over several countries. 18 of the 21 papers presented in the Symposium are included in these proceedings after rigorous review, revision and editing. This volume covers a large number of applications, such as silencers, lined ducts, acoustic materials, source characterization, acoustical design of vehicle cabs, ships, space antennas, MEMS pressure transducer etc., active control of structure-borne noise and cavities, SEA for engine noise and structural acoustic modelling with application to design of quieter panels. A list of references at the end of every paper will provide sources for further reading.

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.

The material in this work is focused on recent developments in research into the stress-strain behavior of geomaterials, with an emphasis on laboratory measurements, soil constitutive modeling and behavior of soil structures (such as reinforced soils, piles and slopes). The latest advancements in the field, such as the rate effect and dynamic behavior of both clay and sand, behavior of modified soils and soil mixtures, and soil liquefaction are addressed.

This book is written by leading experts with both profound knowledge and rich practical experience in advanced mechanics and the microelectronics industry essential for current and future development. It aims to provide the cutting edge knowledge and solutions for various mechanical related problems, in a systematic way. It contains important and detailed information about the state-of-the-art theories, methodologies, the way of working and real case studies.

This book aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to the theory and applications of the mechanics of transversely isotropic elastic materials. There are many reasons why it should be written. First, the theory of transversely isotropic elastic materials is an important branch of applied mathematics and engineering science; but because of the difficulties caused by anisotropy, the mathematical treatments and descriptions of individual problems have been scattered throughout the technical literature. This often hinders further development and applications. Hence, a text that can present the theory and solution methodology uniformly is necessary. Secondly, with the rapid development of modern technologies, the theory of transversely isotropic elasticity has become increasingly important. In addition to the fields with which the theory has traditionally been associated, such as civil engineering and materials engineering, many emerging technologies have demanded the development of transversely isotropic elasticity. Some immediate examples are thin film technology, piezoelectric technology, functionally gradient materials technology and those involving transversely isotropic and layered microstructures, such as multi-layer systems and tribology mechanics of magnetic recording devices. Thus a unified mathematical treatment and presentation of solution methods for a wide range of mechanics models are of primary importance to both technological and economic progress.

New developments in the applications of fracture mechanics to engineering problems have taken place in the last years. Composite materials have extensively been used in engineering problems. Quasi-brittle materials including concrete, cement pastes, rock, soil, etc. all benefit from these developments. Layered materials and especially thin film/substrate systems are becoming important in small volume systems used in micro and nanoelectromechancial systems (MEMS and NEMS). Nanostructured materials are being introduced in our every day life. In all these problems fracture mechanics plays a major role for the prediction of failure and safe design of materials and structures. These new challenges motivated the author to proceed with the second edition of the book. The second edition of the book contains four new chapters in addition to the ten chapters of the first edition. The fourteen chapters of the book cover the basic principles and traditional applications, as well as the latest developments of fracture mechanics as applied to problems of composite materials, thin films, nanoindentation and cementitious materials. Thus the book provides an introductory coverage of the traditional and contemporary applications of fracture mechanics in problems of utmost technological importance. With the addition of the four new chapters the book presents a comprehensive treatment of fracture mechanics. It includes the basic principles and traditional applications as well as the new frontiers of research of fracture mechanics during the last three decades in topics of contemporary importance, like composites, thin films, nanoindentation and cementitious materials. The book contains fifty example problems and more than two hundred unsolved problems. A "Solutions Manual" is available upon request for course instructors from the author.

This timely text is the first monograph to develop self-consistent methods and apply these to the solution of problems of electromagnetic and elastic wave propagation in matrix composites and polycrystals. Predictions are compared with experimental data and exact solutions. Explicit equations and efficient numerical algorithms for calculating the velocities and attenuation coefficients of the mean (coherent) wave fields propagating in composites and polycrystals are presented.