This book bridges the gap between theory and practice, showing how a detailed definition of the shear-wave velocity (VS) profile can be efficiently obtained using limited field equipment and following simple acquisition procedures.

Semi-active Suspension Control provides an overview of vehicle ride control employing smart semi-active damping systems. These systems are able to tune the amount of damping in response to measured vehicle-ride and handling indicators.

Vortex motion is one of the basic states of a flowing continuum. Intere- ingly, in many cases vorticity is space-localized, generating concentrated vortices. Vortex filaments having extremely diverse dynamics are the most characteristic examples of such vortices. Notable examples, in particular, include such phenomena as self-inducted motion, various instabilities, wave generation, and vortex breakdown. These effects are typically ma- fested as a spiral (or helical) configuration of a vortex axis. Many publications in the field of hydrodynamics are focused on vortex motion and vortex effects. Only a few books are devoted entirely to v- tices, and even fewer to concentrated vortices. This work aims to highlight the key problems of vortex formation and behavior. The experimental - servations of the authors, the impressive visualizations of concentrated vortices (including helical and spiral) and pictures of vortex breakdown primarily motivated the authors to begin this work. Later, the approach based on the helical symmetry of swirl flows was developed, allowing the authors to deduce simplified mathematical models and to describe many vortex phenomena. The major portion of this book consists of theoretical studies of vortex dynamics. The final chapter presents detailed results of experimentally observed concentrated vortices that provide the basis for analysis and stimulate development of vortex theory. The mathematical description of the dynamics of concentrated vortices is hindered by the requirement to consider three-dimensional and nonlinear effects, singularity, and various instabilities. For each particular problem, very different coordinate frames and equation systems must be used.

Besides turbulence, there is hardly any other scientific topic which has been considered a prominent scientific challenge for such a long time. The special interest in turbulence is not only based on it being a difficult scientific problem but also on its meaning in the technical world and our daily life. This carefully edited book comprises recent basic research as well as research related to the applications of turbulence. Therefore, both leading engineers and physicists working in the field of turbulence were invited to the iTi Conference on Turbulence held in Bad Zwischenahn, Gemany 21st - 24th of September 2003. Topics discussed include, for example, scaling laws and intermittency, thermal convection, boundary layers at large Reynolds numbers, isotropic turbulence, stochastic processes, passive and active scalars, coherent structures, numerical simulations, and related subjects.

Dissipative Systems Analysis and Control (second edition) presents a fully revised and expanded treatment of dissipative systems theory, constituting a self-contained, advanced introduction for graduate students, researchers and practising engineers. It examines linear and nonlinear systems with examples of both in each chapter; some infinite-dimensional and nonsmooth examples are also included. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the use of the dissipative properties of a system for the design of stable feedback control laws. The theory is consistently substantiated by experimental results and by reference to its application in illustrative physical cases (Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems and adaptive controllers are covered thoroughly).

The subject of random vibrations of elastic systems has gained, over the past decades, great importance, specifically due to its relevance to technical problems in hydro- and aero-mechanics. Such problems involve aircraft, rockets and oil-drilling platforms; elastic vibrations of structures caused by acoustic radiation of a jet stream and by seismic disturbances must also be included. Appli­ cations of the theory of random vibrations are indeed numerous and the development of this theory poses a challenge to mathematicians, mechanicists and engineers. Therefore, a book on random vibrations by a leading authority such as Dr. V.V. Bolotin must be very welcome to anybody working in this field. It is not surprising that efforts were soon made to have the book translated into English. With pleasure I acknowledge the co-operation of the very competent translater, I Shenkman; of Mrs. C. Jones, who typeJ the first draft; and of Th. Brunsting, P. Keskikiikonen and R. Piche, who read it and suggested where required, corrections and changes. I express my gratitude to Martinus Nijhoff Publishers BV for entrust­ ing me with the task of editing the English translation, and to F.J. van Drunen, publishers of N. Nijhoff Publishers BV, who so kindly supported my endeavours. Special acknowledgement is due to Mrs. L. Strouth, Solid Mechanics Division, University of Waterloo, for her competent and efficient preparation of the final manuscript.

This volume gathers the latest advances, innovations and applications in the field of efficiency and performance engineering, as presented by leading international researchers and engineers at the 2022 conference of the Efficiency and Performance Engineering Network (TEPEN), held in Beijing and Baotou, China on August 18-21, 2022. Topics include vibro-acoustics monitoring, condition-based maintenance, sensing and instrumentation, machine health monitoring, maintenance auditing and organization, non-destructive testing, reliability, asset management, condition monitoring, life-cycle cost optimisation, prognostics and health management, maintenance performance measurement, manufacturing process monitoring, and robot-based monitoring and diagnostics. The contributions, which were selected through a rigorous international peer-review process, share exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster new multidisciplinary collaborations.

This book contains selected and expanded contributions presented at the 15th Conference on Acoustics and Vibration of Mechanical Structures held in Timisoara, Romania, May 30-31, 2019. The conference focused on a broad range of topics related to acoustics and vibration, such as analytical approaches to nonlinear noise and vibration problems, environmental and occupational noise, structural vibration, biomechanics and bioacoustics, as well as experimental approaches to vibration problems in industrial processes.

This book gathers the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of computational engineering, as presented by leading international researchers and engineers at the 29th International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences (ICCES), held in Shenzhen, China on May 26-29, 2023. ICCES covers all aspects of applied sciences and engineering: theoretical, analytical, computational, and experimental studies and solutions of problems in the physical, chemical, biological, mechanical, electrical, and mathematical sciences. As such, the book discusses highly diverse topics, including composites; bioengineering & biomechanics; geotechnical engineering; offshore & arctic engineering; multi-scale & multi-physics fluid engineering; structural integrity & longevity; materials design & simulation; and computer modeling methods in engineering. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations.

Because of its versatility in analyzing a broad range of applications, multibody dynamics has grown in the past two decades to be an important tool for designing, prototyping, and simulating complex articulated mechanical systems. This textbook brings together diverse concepts and bridges the gap between dynamics and engineering applications such as microrobotics, virtual reality simulation of interactive mechanical systems, nanomechanics, flexible biosystems, crash simulation, and biomechanics.

Global Analysis of Nonlinear Dynamics collects chapters on recent developments in global analysis of non-linear dynamical systems with a particular emphasis on cell mapping methods developed by Professor C.S. Hsu of the University of California, Berkeley. This collection of contributions prepared by a diverse group of internationally recognized researchers is intended to stimulate interests in global analysis of complex and high-dimensional nonlinear dynamical systems, whose global properties are largely unexplored at this time.

This volume gathers the latest advances, innovations and applications in the field of efficiency and performance engineering, as presented by leading international researchers and engineers at the 2022 conference of the Efficiency and Performance Engineering Network (TEPEN), held in Beijing and Baotou, China on August 18-21, 2022. Topics include vibro-acoustics monitoring, condition-based maintenance, sensing and instrumentation, machine health monitoring, maintenance auditing and organization, non-destructive testing, reliability, asset management, condition monitoring, life-cycle cost optimisation, prognostics and health management, maintenance performance measurement, manufacturing process monitoring, and robot-based monitoring and diagnostics. The contributions, which were selected through a rigorous international peer-review process, share exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster new multidisciplinary collaborations.

This book collects invited lectures presented and discussed on the AMAS & ECCOMAS Workshop/Thematic Conference SMART'o3. The SMART'o3 Conference on Smart Materials and Structures was held in a 19th century palace in Jadwisin near Warsaw, 2-5 September 2003, Poland .It was organized by the Advanced Materials and Structures (AMAS) Centre of Excellence at the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research (IFTR) in Warsaw,ECCOMAS - European Community on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences and SMART-TECH Centre at IFTR. The idea of the workshop was to bring together and consolidate the community of Smart Materials and Structures in Europe. The workshop was attended by 66 participants from n European countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, U.K., Ukraine), 1 participant from Israel and 1 participant from the USA. The workshop program was grouped into the following major topics: 4 sessions on Structural Control (18 presentations), 3 sessions on Vibration Controland Dynamics (14 presentations), 2 sessions on Damage Identification (10 presentations), 2 sessions on Smart Materials (9 presentations). Each session was composed of an invited lecture and some contributed papers. Every paper scheduled in the program was presented, so altogether 51 presentations were given. No sessions were run in parallel. The workshop was attended not only by researchers but also by people closely related to the industry. There were interesting discussions on scientific merits of the presented papers as well as on future development of the field and its possible industrial applications.

In the process industries there is an ongoing need for improvement of the opera­ tion of the process. One of the disciplines that will help the process engineer to achieve this is process control. There are many industrial automation systems to­ day that will offer powerful tools to meet the process control needs of industries with continuous, batch and discrete operations. Advanced control solutions sustain and improve the plant's competitiveness by ensuring: - safe operations - compliance with environmental regulations - effective use ofraw materials and energy - efficient production - manufacturing ofhigh quality products - flexible accommodation ofchanging process requirements This book was written from the perspective of introducing advanced control con­ cepts, which can help the engineer to reach the aforementioned goals. Many ad­ vanced control techniques have been implemented in industry in recent years, since hardware and software platforms are becoming increasingly powerful. Manufacturers ofprocess control equipment call this hardware and software envi­ ronment generally 'distributed control system'. The distributed control system equipment offers the engineer an excellent plat­ form for writing and implementing advanced control solutions. However, most large chemical and petrochemical manufacturers hire control specialists to imple­ ment these control solutions, while small manufacturers often lack the funds to hire these professionals. Therefore it is our experience that in the latter case, proc­ ess engineers often write the control programs required to improve process opera­ tion.