Computational mechanics, as a science employed for the numerical model ing of processes in nature and engineering, has over the last few decades developed two strands. The first concerns the putting of more and more powerful software packages into computational practice, using increas ingly high-performance computers with increasingly large memory. The traditional finite element and finite difference approaches are still preva lent. Over the years however, researchers have met with new problems; their solutions on the basis of traditional methods are at best difficult and at worst impossible to obtain. Such problems provided a powerful impetus in the development of the second strand, resulting in the development of es sentially new approaches for numerical modeling, for example meshless methods, "molecular" dynamics, neuron networks. The current state of the art formed the basis of many papers presented at the Fifth World Congress on Computational Mechanics, Vienna 2002. It is within the framework of the second strand that this book has been written.

This book is the first to apply the Spectral Finite Element Method (SFEM) to inhomogeneous and anisotropic structures in a unified and systematic manner. Readers will gain understanding of how to formulate Spectral Finite Element; learn about wave behaviour in inhomogeneous and anisotropic media; and, be able to design some diagnostic tools for monitoring the health of a structure. Tables, figures and graphs support the theory and case studies are included.

Ultrasonic guided waves in solid media have become a critically important subject in nondestructive testing and structural health monitoring, as new faster, more sensitive, and more economical ways of looking at materials and structures have become possible. This book will lead to fresh creative ideas for use in new inspection procedures. Although the mathematics is sometimes sophisticated, the book can also be read by managers without detailed understanding of the concepts as it can be read from a 'black box' point of view. Overall, the material presented on wave mechanics - in particular, guided wave mechanics - establishes a framework for the creative data collection and signal processing needed to solve many problems using ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring. The book can be used as a reference in ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation by professionals and as a textbook for seniors and graduate students. This work extends the coverage of Rose's earlier book Ultrasonic Waves in Solid Media.

This monograph presents numerical methods for solving transient wave equations (i.e. in time domain). More precisely, it provides an overview of continuous and discontinuous finite element methods for these equations, including their implementation in physical models, an extensive description of 2D and 3D elements with different shapes, such as prisms or pyramids, an analysis of the accuracy of the methods and the study of the Maxwell’s system and the important problem of its spurious free approximations. After recalling the classical models, i.e. acoustics, linear elastodynamics and electromagnetism and their variational formulations, the authors present a wide variety of finite elements of different shapes useful for the numerical resolution of wave equations. Then, they focus on the construction of efficient continuous and discontinuous Galerkin methods and study their accuracy by plane wave techniques and a priori error estimates. A chapter is devoted to the Maxwell’s system and the important problem of its spurious-free approximations. Treatment of unbounded domains by Absorbing Boundary Conditions (ABC) and Perfectly Matched Layers (PML) is described and analyzed in a separate chapter. The two last chapters deal with time approximation including local time-stepping and with the study of some complex models, i.e. acoustics in flow, gravity waves and vibrating thin plates. Throughout, emphasis is put on the accuracy and computational efficiency of the methods, with attention brought to their practical aspects.This monograph also covers in details the theoretical foundations and numerical analysis of these methods. As a result, this monograph will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, engineers and graduate students involved in the numerical simulationof waves.

The Finite Element Method (FEM) has become an indispensable technology for the modelling and simulation of engineering systems. Written for engineers and students alike, the aim of the book is to provide the necessary theories and techniques of the FEM for readers to be able to use a commercial FEM package to solve primarily linear problems in mechanical and civil engineering with the main focus on structural mechanics and heat transfer.Fundamental theories are introduced in a straightforward way, and state-of-the-art techniques for designing and analyzing engineering systems, including microstructural systems are explained in detail. Case studies are used to demonstrate these theories, methods, techniques and practical applications, and numerous diagrams and tables are used throughout.The case studies and examples use the commercial software package ABAQUS, but the techniques explained are equally applicable for readers using other applications including NASTRAN, ANSYS, MARC, etc. - A practical and accessible guide to this complex, yet important subject - Covers modeling techniques that predict how components will operate and tolerate loads, stresses and strains in reality