Introduction to Dynamics and Control in Mechanical Engineering Systems

One of the first books to provide in-depth and systematic application of finite element methods to the field of stochastic structural dynamics
The parallel developments of the Finite Element Methods in the 1950’s and the engineering applications of stochastic processes in the 1940’s provided a combined numerical analysis tool for the studies of dynamics of structures and structural systems under random loadings. In the open literature, there are books on statistical dynamics of structures and books on structural dynamics with chapters dealing with random response analysis. However, a systematic treatment of stochastic structural dynamics applying the finite element methods seems to be lacking. Aimed at advanced and specialist levels, the author presents and illustrates analytical and direct integration methods for analyzing the statistics of the response of structures to stochastic loads. The analysis methods are based on structural models represented via the Finite Element Method. In addition to linear problems the text also addresses nonlinear problems and non-stationary random excitation with systems having large spatially stochastic property variations.

Dr. To, obtained his Ph.D. in 1980 from the University of Southampton, is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL). Prior to joining UNL in 1996, he was a professor at the University of Western Ontario (UWO). Before joining UWO he was an associate professor at the University of Calgary. He was a University Research Fellow of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) between 1982 and 1992. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and a member of several other professional societies. He served as chair of the ASME Finite Element Techniques and Computational Technologies Technical Committee. He serves as associate editors and member of editorial boards of several refereed journals. His research interests cover sound and vibration studies, solid and computational mechanics, system dynamics and controls, and design methodology.