This book is a collection of recent reprints and new material on fundamentally nonlinear problems in structural systems which demonstrate localized responses to continuous inputs. It has two intended audiences. For mathematicians and physicists it should provide useful new insights into a classical yet rapidly developing area of application of the rich subject of dynamical systems theory. For workers in structural and solid mechanics it introduces a new methodology for dealing with structural localization and the related topic of the generation of solitary waves. Applications range from classical problems such as the buckling of cylindrical shells, twisted rods and pipelines, to the folding of geological strata, the failure of sandwich structures and the propagation of solitary waves in suspended beam systems.

This book presents the latest research results in the area of applied nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory. Papers by three academic generations address new applications of nonlinear dynamics to mechanics, including fluid-structure interaction, machining and mechanics of solids, and many other applications.

This book provides an introduction to localised excitations in spatially discrete systems, from the experimental, numerical and mathematical points of view. Also known as discrete breathers, nonlinear lattice excitations and intrinsic localised modes, these are spatially localised time periodic motions in networks of dynamical units. Examples of such networks are molecular crystals, biomolecules, and arrays of Josephson superconducting junctions. The book also addresses the formation of discrete breathers and their potential role in energy transfer in such systems.

There have been stability theories developed for beams, plates and shells — the most significant elements in mechanical, aerospace, ocean and marine engineering. For beams and plates, the theoretical and experimental values of buckling loads are in close vicinity. However for thin shells, the experimental predictions do not conform with the theory, due to presence of small geometric imperfections that are deviations from the ideal shape.This fact has been referred to in the literature as ‘embarrassing’, ‘paradoxical’ and ‘perplexing’. Indeed, the popular adage, “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is”, very much applies to thin shells whose experimental buckling loads may constitute a small fraction of the theoretical prediction based on classical linear theory; because in practice, engineers use knockdown factors that are not theoretically substantiated.This book presents a uniform approach that tames this prima-donna-like and capricious behavior of structures that has been dubbed the ‘imperfection sensitivity’ — thus resolving the conundrum that has occupied the best minds of elastic stability throughout the twentieth century.

This book is a collection of papers on the subject of applied system dynamics and control written by experts in this field. It offers the reader a sampling of exciting research areas in three fast-growing branches: (i) Wave Motion (ii) Intelligent Structures (iii) Nonlinear Mechanics. The topics covered include flow instability, nonlinear mode localization autoparametric systems with pendula, and geometric stiffening in multibody dynamics. Mathematical methods include perturbation methods, modern control theory, nonlinear neural nets, and resonance scattering theory of šberall-Ripoche-Maze. Applications include sound-induced structural vibrations, fiber acoustic waveguides, vibration suppression of structures, linear control of gyroscopic systems, and nonlinear control of distributed systems.This book shows how applied system dynamics and control is currently being utilized and investigated. It will be of interest to engineers, applied mathematicians and physicists.