Smart Structures: Blurring the Distinction Between the Living and the Nonliving (Monographs on the Physics and Chemistry of Materials) - Hardcover

Wadhawan, Vinod K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199229171 ISBN 13: 9780199229178

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2007

Synopsis

A structure is an assembly that serves an engineering function. A smart structure is one that serves this function smartly i.e. by responding adaptively in a pre-designed useful and efficient manner to changing environmental conditions. Adaptive behavior of one of more materials constituting a smart structure requires nonlinear response. This book describes the three main types of nonlinear-response materials: ferroic materials, sort materials, and nanostructured materials. Information processing by biological and artificial smart structures is also discussed. A smart structure typical has sensors, actuators and a control system. Progress in all these aspects of smart structures has leant heavily on mimicking Nature and the all-important notion in this context has been that of evolution. Artificial Darwinian and Lamarckian evolution holds the key to the development of truly smart structures. Modestly intelligent robots are already on the horizon. Projections about the low cost availability of adequate computing power and memory size indicate that the future really belongs to smart structures. This book covers in a compact format the entire gamut of concepts relevant to smart structures. It will be of interest to a wide range of students and professionals in science and engineering.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Vinod Kumar Wadhawan works in the Solid State Physics Division as a Raja Ramanna Fellow at Bhabaha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai Inida.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199229171
• ISBN 13: 9780199229178
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 364