Smart Structures

An innovative concept, smart structural systems have proven to be extremely effective in absorbing damaging energy and/or counteracting potentially devastating force, thus limiting structural collapse and subsequent injury. As this technology rapidly evolves, there is an ever-increasing need for an authoritative reference that will allow those in t

Smart (intelligent) structures have been the focus of a great deal of recent research interest. In this book, leading researchers report the state of the art and discuss new ideas, results and trends in 43 contributions, covering fundamental research issues, the role of intelligent monitoring in structural identification and damage assessment, the potential of automatic control systems in achieving a desired structural behaviour, and a number of practical issues in the analysis and design of smart structures in mechanical and civil engineering applications. Audience: A multidisciplinary reference for materials scientists and engineers in such areas as mechanical, civil, aeronautical, electrical, control, and computer engineering.

Adaptronics is the term encompassing technical fields that have become known internationally under the names "smart materials", "intelligent structures", and "smart structures". Adaptronics contributes to the optimisation of systems and products. It bridges the gap between material and system or product, and incorporates the search for multi-functional materials and elements and their integration in systems or structures. The authors of this book have taken on the task of displaying the current state of the art in this fascinating field. The system components, actuators, sensors and controllers, technical fundamentals, materials, design rules and practical solutions are all described. Selected sample applications are also presented and current development trends are demonstrated.

This book focuses on smart materials and structures, which are also referred to as intelligent, adaptive, active, sensory, and metamorphic. The ultimate goal is to develop biologically inspired multifunctional materials with the capability to adapt their structural characteristics, monitor their health condition, perform self-diagnosis and self-repair, morph their shape, and undergo significant controlled motion.

Dynamics of Smart Structures is a practical, concise and integrated text that provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of a field that has evolved over the recent years into an independent and identifiable subject area. Bringing together the concepts, techniques and systems associated with the dynamics and control of smart structures, it comprehensively reviews the differing smart materials that are employed in the development of the smart structures and covers several recent developments in the field of structural dynamics. Dynamics of Smart Structures has been developed to complement the author's new interdisciplinary programme of study at Queen Mary, University of London that includes courses on emerging and new technologies such as biomimetic robotics, smart composite structures, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and their applications and prosthetic control systems. It includes chapters on smart materials and structures, transducers for smart structures, fundamentals of structural control, dynamics of continuous structures, dynamics of plates and plate-like structures, dynamics of piezoelectric media, mechanics of electro-actuated composite structures, dynamics of thermo-elastic media: shape memory alloys, and controller designs for flexible structures.

Concrete is the second most used building material in the world after water. The problem is that over time the material becomes weaker. As a response, researchers and designers are developing self-sensing concrete which not only increases longevity but also the strength of the material. Self-Sensing Concrete in Smart Structures provides researchers and designers with a guide to the composition, sensing mechanism, measurement, and sensing properties of self-healing concrete along with their structural applications Provides a systematic discussion of the structure of intrinsic self-sensing concrete Compositions of intrinsic self-sensing concrete and processing of intrinsic self-sensing concrete Explains the sensing mechanism, measurement, and sensing properties of intrinsic self-sensing concrete

Introductory text on the analysis and design of smart devices and structures.

This book is intended as an introduction and reference to fiber optic smart structures. Smart structures are used as sensors in a wide variety of applications and fields--from aerospace engineering to electrical engineering to civil engineering.

Smartness is often associated with living beings, as they can adapt themselves to changing situations. Artificial smart structures are designed to mimic biological structures to a small or large extent. This book gives a comprehensive account of how this can be done. It will be of interest to students and professionals in science and engineering.

Smart (intelligent) structures have been the focus of a great deal of recent research interest. In this book, leading researchers report the state of the art and discuss new ideas, results and trends in 43 contributions, covering fundamental research issues, the role of intelligent monitoring in structural identification and damage assessment, the potential of automatic control systems in achieving a desired structural behaviour, and a number of practical issues in the analysis and design of smart structures in mechanical and civil engineering applications. Audience: A multidisciplinary reference for materials scientists and engineers in such areas as mechanical, civil, aeronautical, electrical, control, and computer engineering.