This book deals with the elastic stability of solids and structures. It begins with fundamental aspects of stability, relating the basic notions of dynamic stability to more traditional quasi-static approaches. The book is concerned not only with buckling, or linear instability, but most importantly with nonlinear post-buckling behavior and imperfection-sensitivity. After laying out the general theory, Koiter applies the theory to a number of applications, with a chapter devoted to each. These include a variety of beam, plate, and shell structural problems and some basic continuum elasticity problems. Koiter's classic results on the nonlinear buckling and imperfection-sensitivity of cylindrical and spherical shells are included. The treatments of both the fundamental aspects and the applications are completely self contained. This book was recorded as a detailed set of notes by Arnold van der Heijden from W. T. Koiter's last set of lectures on stability theory, at TU Delft.

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.

When a structure is put under an increasing compressive load, it becomes unstable and buckling occurs. Buckling is a particularly significant concern in designing shell structures such as aircraft, automobiles, ships, or bridges. This book discusses stability analysis and buckling problems and offers practical tools for dealing with uncertainties that exist in real systems. The techniques are based on two complementary theories which are developed in the text. First, the probabilistic theory of stability is presented, with particular emphasis on reliability. Both theoretical and computational issues are discussed. Secondly, the authors present the alternative to probability based on the notion of 'anti-optimization', a theory that is valid when the necessary information for probabilistic analysis is absent, that is, when only scant data are available. Design engineers, researchers, and graduate students in aerospace, mechanical, marine, and civil engineering who are concerned with issues of structural integrity will find this book a useful reference source.

Advances in Engineering Materials, Structures and Systems: Innovations, Mechanics and Applications comprises 411 papers that were presented at SEMC 2019, the Seventh International Conference on Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Computation, held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 2 to 4 September 2019. The subject matter reflects the broad scope of SEMC conferences, and covers a wide variety of engineering materials (both traditional and innovative) and many types of structures. The many topics featured in these Proceedings can be classified into six broad categories that deal with: (i) the mechanics of materials and fluids (elasticity, plasticity, flow through porous media, fluid dynamics, fracture, fatigue, damage, delamination, corrosion, bond, creep, shrinkage, etc); (ii) the mechanics of structures and systems (structural dynamics, vibration, seismic response, soil-structure interaction, fluid-structure interaction, response to blast and impact, response to fire, structural stability, buckling, collapse behaviour); (iii) the numerical modelling and experimental testing of materials and structures (numerical methods, simulation techniques, multi-scale modelling, computational modelling, laboratory testing, field testing, experimental measurements); (iv) innovations and special structures (nanostructures, adaptive structures, smart structures, composite structures, bio-inspired structures, shell structures, membranes, space structures, lightweight structures, long-span structures, tall buildings, wind turbines, etc); (v) design in traditional engineering materials (steel, concrete, steel-concrete composite, aluminium, masonry, timber, glass); (vi) the process of structural engineering (conceptualisation, planning, analysis, design, optimization, construction, assembly, manufacture, testing, maintenance, monitoring, assessment, repair, strengthening, retrofitting, decommissioning). The SEMC 2019 Proceedings will be of interest to civil, structural, mechanical, marine and aerospace engineers. Researchers, developers, practitioners and academics in these disciplines will find them useful. Two versions of the papers are available. Short versions, intended to be concise but self-contained summaries of the full papers, are in this printed book. The full versions of the papers are in the e-book.

This book gives a unified presentation of the field of stability. Buckling and post-buckling states are studied on the basis of total potential energy of structural systems. Emphasis is placed throughout the text on post-buckling analysis and behaviour. The sensitivity of buckling and post-buckling states to changes in design parameters is also discussed as well as changes due to imperfections and damage.

The Stability of Elastic Systems presents some of the most important aspects of the stability and the non-linear behavior at finite deformations of several types of structural elastic systems, which are important for a more precise understanding of the static performance of such systems. This book is divided into eight chapters that aim to complete parts of classical, eigenvalue, theories of buckling and to demonstrate the important role played by finite deformations in the theoretical analyses of stability. Other chapters discuss the properties of prismatic members and the post-buckling behavior of plane frameworks. A chapter describes the elastic buckling and stability of statically determinate space frameworks. The remaining chapters cover the elastic buckling of statically indeterminate pin-jointed systems and space frameworks. These chapters also examine the non-conservative aspects of structural systems. This book will be of great value to practicing engineers and students.