There are three changes in the second edition. First, with the help of readers and colleagues-thanks to all-I have corrected typographical errors and made minor changes in substance and style. Second, I have added a fewmore Exercises, especially at the end ofChapter4.Third, I have appended a section on Differential Geometry, the essential mathematical tool in the study of two-dimensional structural shells and four-dimensional general relativity. JAMES G. SIMMONDS vii Preface to the First Edition When I was an undergraduate, working as a co-op student at North Ameri- can Aviation, I tried to...

Elastic shells are pervasive in everyday life. Examples of these thin-walled structures range from automobile hoods to basketballs, veins and arteries, and soft drink cans. This book explains shell theory, with numerous examples and applications. This second edition not only brings all the material of the first edition entirely up to date; it also adds two entirely new chapters on general shell theory and general membrane theory. Aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineers, as well as applied mathematicians, will find this book a clearly written and thorough information source on shell theory.

Elastic shells are pervasive in everyday life. Examples of these thin-walled structures range from automobile hoods to basketballs, veins and arteries, and soft drink cans. This book explains shell theory, with numerous examples and applications. This second edition not only brings all the material of the first edition entirely up to date; it also adds two entirely new chapters on general shell theory and general membrane theory. Aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineers, as well as applied mathematicians, will find this book a clearly written and thorough information source on shell...

Mechanical Engineering, an engineering discipline borne of the needs of the in dustrial revolution, is once again asked to do its substantial share in the call for industrial renewal. The general call is urgent as we face profound issues of pro ductivity and competitiveness that require engineering solutions, among others. The Mechanical Engineering Series features graduate texts and research mono graphs intended to address the need for information in contemporary areas ofme chanical engineering. The series is conceived as a comprehensive one that covers a broad range of concentrations...

The optimal control of flexible structures is an active area of research. The main body of work in this area is concerned with the control of time-dependent displacements and stresses, and assumes linear elastic conditions, namely linear elastic material behavior and small defor- tion. See, e. g., 1]- 3], the collections of papers 4, 5], and references therein. On the other hand, in the present paper we consider the static optimal control of a structure made of a nonlinear elastic material and und- going large deformation. An important application is the suppression of static or...