INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, VOL.
21, 1 166 (1 985)
BOOK REVIEWS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS FOK THE ANALYSIS AND
OPTIMIZATION OF BLASTOPLASTIC STKUCTURES, A.
Cyras, Professor and Rector, Vilnius Civil En-
gineering Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania, USSR.
Translatcd by Prof. L. W. Longdon, John Wiley
and Sons Ltd., Chichester. Price: E16.50, Pages:
121. ISBN 0/85312/629/1.
The title should read ‘Elastic Plastic’ instead of
‘Elastoplastic’. This was due to an error in transla-
tion as noted by the publisher.
This book is devoted to some elastic plastic
problems of the theory of structures and perhaps
the title is too general. In fact emphasis is placed
on presenting mathematical models for solving
limit equilibrium and optimization problems with
the assumption that the loads are quasistatic type,
the material is perfcctly plastic and isotropic,
deformations at plastic failure are small.
The author presents the basic mathematical
models for a discrete finite-dimensional system
characterized by generalized forces, deformations,
displacements, and loads in finite-dimensional
spaces. The vector-matrix notation for these
variables and also for specific relationships is used.
The book consists of 5 chapters. Chapters 2, 3
and 4 are essentially derived in three main sections:
monotonically increasing loading, cyclic loading,
movable loading.
Chapter 1, very short, is devoted to the discrete
description of elastic plastic structures and
introduces the main assumptions, the notation and
the relationships used in the sequel. Chapters 2 and
3 are devoted to mathematical models of limit
equilibrium problems and optimization problems.
Chapter 4 is devoted to analysis. Every chapter is
followed by a summary and includes many tables
of basic models in both static and kinematic formu-
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETE SHELL
ROOFS,G. S. Ramaswamy. Revised Edition, 1984.
758 pp. $59.50. Robert E. Krieger, Florida, USA.
ISBN 0-89874--001- 0.
This new edition of a respected text on thin shell
structures is distinguished from its predecessor by
the addition of chapters on the use of the finite
element method in the analysis of such structures,
special foundation concepts, and shells made of
ferrocement. The basic material covers the back-
ground mathematics, cylindrical shells and folded
plates, and shells of double curvature, and practical
lations. Chapter 5 is devoted to the main operators
included in the mathematical models for circular
and rectangular plates as well as for spherical,
cylindrical and doubly-curved shells. Examples of
a frame are given for limit load, minimum weight
for a movable load, optimization for cyclic load
and the stress-strain field under plastic failure.
Finally the design of a circular plate subjected to
a cyclic loading and the optimum distribution of
tensile stress in a double-curved shell are shown. A
very useful notation list is given at the end.
In spite of the fact that the layout of the book
is very simple, the reader can meet some difficulties
because the book is not self-contained enough.
In fact it is too condcnsed and the basic physical
assumptions are not sufficiently clearly empha-
sized, even if considering thc author’s state-
ment that the main attention has been devoted
to the mathematical formulation of problems,
rather than to the physical aspects.
For this reason I think the book can be usefully
used by research scientists concerned with the
design and behaviour of structure. In this sense it
is a good handbook in which it is possible to find
a fairly large number of mathematical formula-
tions. The reference list, as the author admits,
cannot be considered as an exhaustive coverage of
the literature of these kind of problems; references
to the western literature are mostly indirectly
indicated.
This book is well printed in an easily readable
manner. Its price appears to be reasonable from
the point of view of technical quality and number
of pages.
GIANNANTONIO SACCHI LANDKIANI
Politecnico di Milano
aspects of design and construction. This is extensive
material indeed, and one of the enduring problems
of modern shell technology is to bring together
under one cover fundamental issues and the
relevant features of modern computational pro-
cedures, such as the finite element method.
Although a comprehensive treatment of finite
element shell analysis is not possible under such
constraints-and it should be noted that this field
continues to mature-the author has done a good
job of introducing key concepts.
RICHARDH. GALLAGIWK
Worcester Polytechnic Institule