Structural Stability and Its Computational Modelling

The volume showcases how basic formulation and solution methods can be used for an improved understanding of stability-affected structures. It also highlights the numerical treatment of the resulting equations, demonstrating and quantifying many aspects of structural stability not available to engineers by the traditional methods. The elaborated theoretical background is also used to show how methods included in commercial software can give misleading conclusions. The book will be of interest to researchers and professionals working in computational modelling of structures. The book includes exercises and projects, appended to each chapter, which further extends its usability as a text book in classroom teaching and for professional courses.

Anders Eriksson, PhD, is a professor (retired) of Structural mechanics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. Born in 1953 and with an MSc. in Civil engineering, he got his degree in 1981 within the subject of Steel structures; he became professor in 1991. Initiated already in the thesis work, a major research interest has been focused on the numerical treatment, primarily by FEM techniques, of non-linear and stability issues in structural equilibrium. While the thesis work dealt with thin shells, also other classes of problems, such as tensegrities, have been treated. Element formulations for these, but even more the solution techniques for the resulting non-linear systems are frequent topics in the scientific publications. Not least, settings and methods for parametric equilibrium problems have been developed and published. A secondary research interest has been directed towards bio-mechanical simulations, and in particular on aspects of the human musculo-skeletal system. The research efforts have resulted in over 100 journal publications, and a similar number of conference papers. Eriksson has a very large experience from teaching in undergraduate and graduate courses, but also from supervision of MSc. and PhD. thesis work. He also has several years of experience from university leadership and management roles.

 

Arne Nordmark, PhD, is part-time senior lecturer at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm and part-time development engineer at Comsol AB, Stockholm. Born in 1964 and with an MSc. In Engineering physics, he got his degree within the subject of Impacting dynamical systems. A major research interest has been the study of bifurcations in mechanical system with discontinuities in the governing equations, which arise for example in models of impact and friction. He has developed the general method of using discontinuity mappings to study such systems. Recent research interests include the study of instabilities of pressurized wrinkled membranes, and utilizing symmetry and group representation theory when analysing structures. The research has resulted in more than 50 journal publications. Nordmark also has experience from teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and from co-supervising PhD. thesis work. At Comsol AB, he has been involved in developing the Partial Differential Equation Toolbox for MATLAB, and COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software, and is co-inventor of several patents.