Role of Internal Friction in Dynamic Analysis of Structures

Book excerpt: Improvement in the methods of analysis of structures, machines, aircrafts and ships is one of the most important problems in engineering today. The computational aspects of this problem are being tackled successfully due to developments in computer science. However, for an adequate description of the physical properties of structures, especially those made of newer, non- traditional materials, it is essential to further study their behaviour under different load and kinematic conditions and to develop appropriate physical models that provide a comprehensive and correct description of the actual state of deformation. The objective of this book is to adopt a unified approach for describing the large number of models of internal friction and to offer recommendations regarding the methods of taking it into account at the time of dynamic analysis. It is also intended to provide a comprehensive analysis of the various models, accompanied by detailed solutions of specific problems, which could serve as examples for dynamic analysis of real structures taking into account the effect of internal friction.