The treatment of uncertainties in the analysis of engineering structures remains one of the premium challenges in modern structural mechanics. It is only in recent years that the developments in stochastic and deterministic computational mechanics began to be synchronized. To foster these developments, novel computational procedures for the uncertainty assessment of large finite element systems are presented in this monograph. The stochastic input is modeled by the so-called Karhunen-Loève expansion, which is formulated in this context both for scalar and vector stochastic processes as well as for random fields. Particularly for strongly non-linear structures and systems the direct Monte Carlo simulation technique has proven to be most advantageous as method of solution. The capabilities of the developed procedures are demonstrated by showing some practical applications.

This book concerns the numerical simulation of dynamical systems whose trajec- ries may not be differentiable everywhere. They are named nonsmooth dynamical systems. They make an important class of systems, rst because of the many app- cations in which nonsmooth models are useful, secondly because they give rise to new problems in various elds of science. Usually nonsmooth dynamical systems are represented as differential inclusions, complementarity systems, evolution va- ational inequalities, each of these classes itself being split into several subclasses. The book is divided into four parts, the rst three parts being sketched in Fig. 0. 1. The aim of the rst part is to present the main tools from mechanics and applied mathematics which are necessary to understand how nonsmooth dynamical systems may be numerically simulated in a reliable way. Many examples illustrate the th- retical results, and an emphasis is put on mechanical systems, as well as on electrical circuits (the so-called Filippov’s systems are also examined in some detail, due to their importance in control applications). The second and third parts are dedicated to a detailed presentation of the numerical schemes. A fourth part is devoted to the presentation of the software platform Siconos. This book is not a textbook on - merical analysis of nonsmooth systems, in the sense that despite the main results of numerical analysis (convergence, order of consistency, etc. ) being presented, their proofs are not provided.

This book presents suitable methodologies for the dynamic analysis of multibody mechanical systems with joints. It contains studies and case studies of real and imperfect joints. The book is intended for researchers, engineers, and graduate students in applied and computational mechanics.

The book presents state-of-the-art works in computational engineering. Focus is on mathematical modeling, numerical simulation, experimental validation and visualization in engineering sciences. In particular, the following topics are presented: constitutive models and their implementation into finite element codes, numerical models in nonlinear elasto-dynamics including seismic excitations, multiphase models in structural engineering and multiscale models of materials systems, sensitivity and reliability analysis of engineering structures, the application of scientific computing in urban water management and hydraulic engineering, and the application of genetic algorithms for the registration of laser scanner point clouds.

This carefully edited book offers a state-of-the-art overview on formulation, mathematical analysis and numerical solution procedures of contact problems. The contributions collected in this volume summarize the lectures presented by leading scientists in the area of contact mechanics, during the 4th Contact Mechanics International Symposium (CMIS) held in Hannover, Germany, 2005.

The aim of this International Symposium on Dynamics of Vibro-Impact Systems is to provide a forum for the discussion of recent developments in the theory and industrial applications of vibro-impact ocean systems. A special effort has been made to invite active researchers from engineering, science, and applied mathematics communities. This symposium has indeed updated engineers with recent analytical developments of vibro-impact dynamics and at the same time allowed engineers and industrial practitioners to alert mathematicians with their unresolved issues. The symposium was held in Troy, Michigan, during the period October 1-3, 2008. It included 28 presentations grouped as follows: The first group comprises of nine papers dealing with the interaction of ocean systems with slamming waves and floating ice. It also covers related topics such as sloshing-slamming dynamics, and non-smooth dynamics associated with offshore structures. Moreover, it includes control issues pertaining to marine surface vessels. The second group consists of fifteen papers treats the interaction of impact systems with friction and their control, Hertzian contact dynamics, parameter variation in vibro-impact oscillators, random excitation of vibro-impact systems, vibro-impact dampers, oscillators with a bouncing ball, limiting phase trajectory corresponding to energy exchange between the oscillator and external source, frequency-energy distribution in oscillators with impacts, and discontinuity mapping. The third group is covered in four papers and addresses some industrial applications such as hand-held percussion machines, rub-impact dynamics of rotating machinery, impact fatigue in joint structures.

Table of contents: Stochastic methods in nonlinear structural dynamics.- Stochastic models of uncertainties in computational structural dynamics and structural acoustics.- The tale of stochastic linearization techniques: over half a century of progress.- Comprehensive modeling of uncertain systems using fuzzy set theory.- Bounding uncertainty in civil engineering: theoretical background and applications.- Combined methods in nondeterministic mechanics. In this book the current state of the art of nondeterministic mechanics in its various forms is presented. The topics range from stochastic problems to fuzzy sets; from linear to nonlinear problems; from specific methodologies to combinations of various techniques; from theoretical considerations to practical applications. It is specially designed to illuminate the various aspects of the three methodologies (probabilistic or stochastic modelling, fuzzy sets based analysis, antioptimization of structures) to deal with various uncertainties and deepen the discussion of their pros and cons.