The ability of a structural assembly to carry loads and forces determines how stable it will be over time. Viewing structural assemblages as comprising columns, beams, arches, rings, and plates, this book will introduce the student to both a classical and advanced understanding of the mechanical behavior of such structural systems under load and how modeling the resulting strains can predict the overall future performance--the stability--of that structure. While covering traditional beam theory, the book is more focused on elastica theory in keeping with modern approaches. This text will be...

Dynamic instability or dynamic buckling as applied to structures is a term that has been used to describe many classes of problems and many physical phenomena. It is not surprising, then, that the term finds several uses and interpretations among structural mechanicians. Problems of parametric resonance, follower-force, whirling of rotating shafts, fluid-solid interaction, general response of structures to dynamic loads, and several others are all classified under dynamic instability. Many analytical and experimental studies of such problems can be found in several books as either specialized...