Trends in Structural Mechanics

The desire to understand the mechanics of elastic and plastic solids, new materials and the stability, reliability and dynamic behaviour of structures and their components under extreme environmental conditions has dominated research in structural engineering for many decades. Advances in these areas have revolutionized design methods, codes of practice, and the teaching of structural engineers.
In this volume an international body of leading authorities presents some forty papers on current research directions in the specific areas of solid mechanics, structural computation, modern materials and their application, buckling and instability, design of structural systems and components, reliability, seismic analysis, and engineering education.
They were presented at a symposium held July 10-12, 1994, at the University of Waterloo, Canada, to honour Professor Archibald Norbert Sherbourne who recently retired from a long and active career of teaching, research and academic administration at this University. The themes of the work contained within this volume reflect Professor Sherbourne's own research interests and will be of interest to both academics and practicing structural engineers.

Inhalt
Cosserat Continuum and Shell Theory.- A Technique for Solving Nonlinear Problems.- Solution of Solid Mechanics Problems by Random Walk.- Development and Progress of the Discrete Method of Limit Analysis using Rigid Bodies Spring Models.- Dual Analysis with Equilibrium Finite Elements.- Yielding and Flow of Sand.- Mechanics of Buried Flexible Structures.- Designing with Fibre-Reinforced Composites: Advantages and Pitfalls.- Use of Polymers and Polymer-Based Composites in Structural Mechanics.- A Finite Element Presentation of Optimum Design for Filament-Winding Composite Cylindrical Pressure Vessels..- Interactive Buckling in Fibrous Pultruded I-Section Composite Beams.- Theories Behind the Development of Constitutive Relations.- Rehabilitation of Structures by Fibre Reinforced Plastic Laminates.- A Coherent Code for Structural Design Against Buckling.- Large Twisting and Kinking of Thin-Walled Elastic Ribbons.- Stiffened Plates and Cylindrical Shells under Interactive Buckling.- Parametric Studies of the Factors Affecting the Stability of Segmental Dome Structures.- Impact Damage Sustained During Vehicle Rollover.- Periodic Table of the Polyhedral Universe.- Optimizing Structural Systems.- Static and Dynamic Analysis of Tension Structures.- Finite Elements, Plasticity Theory and Linear Programming for Dimensioning Reinforced Concrete Slabs and Walls.- Steel Satchel Connections.- A Study of M-? Behaviour of Flush Endplate Connections.- Moment Frame Connections Revisited: A Fundamental Fracture Mechanics Approach.- Lower Bound Moment Fields A New Approach.- Reinforced Concrete Column Design.- Full-Section Yield Analysis of Uniformly Loaded Sector Plates.- Service Life of Patches in Concrete Flat Slabs.- Reliability-Based Nondestructive Inspection Planning.-The Earthquake-Resistant Design of Critically-Important Concrete Structures.- An Improved Approximation for the Multinormal Integral with Applications to System Reliability Computation.- New Developments in the Theory of Dynamics for Seismic Analysis of Buildings.- On the Moment Distribution Method of Structural Analysis.- Role of Higher Education.- Some Musings About a Difficult Design Problem.- Engineering Design and Computers.- Learning Conceptual Design.