SMART STRUCTURES

The major challenge in today’s structural engineering is to better design structures against the damaging effects of earthquakes and strong winds. Smart structural systems are an innovative concept that has been proven to be very effective in protecting structures. These systems absorb damaging energy and/or counteract damaging force on the structure, and thus reduce structural response and possible damage. Smart structure technology is being improved every day, and there is a great need for documented references in this field. This book is a useful ref­erence for researchers and practicing engineers working in the field of structural engineering. It is also a key resource for senior undergraduates and all postgraduate students who need to find an organized collection of information of smart structure technology. Key features of the book include 1. Complete mathematical formulations and numerical procedures for the topics presented 2. New technologies 3. Design guidelines and examples based on current official codes 4. Detailed figures and illustrations 5. Extensive references This book is prepared with the following emphases: 1. The book functions as a self-study unit. Essential information on struc­tural formulations, mechanism of control systems, numerical algorithms, and so forth, is given in detail. 2. Step-by-step numerical examples are provided. These serve to illus­trate mathematical formulations and to interpret physical representa­tions, enabling the reader to understand the formulas vis-^-vis their applications. 3. Each chapter discusses a specific topic, and the topic areas are covered comprehensively and outlined as follows: • Chapter 1 introduces various smart structure systems currently in vogue so that the reader can have an overall view on the subject. • Chapters 2 and 3 present base isolation systems and their asso­ciated damping devices. Base isolation and damping systems