Publisher's Synopsis
Computational Mechanics is a relatively new field of research which combines rigorously developed numerical methods with the basic laws of mechanics, be it solid or fluid mechanics. The development of computer science and technology during the last three decades has made it possible to solve rather complex mechanical problems from first principles, thereby bridging the prevailing gap between the fundamental equations of mechanics and industrial needs in such disparate fields of application as hydropower turbines and aluminium extrusion. The advent of Computational Mechanics, first primarily as a research area and thereafter as an effective and reliable means of engineering design analysis, has now made it possible to discard the often questionable rules-of-thumb and semi-empirical criteria used so far in many industries. Still, however, insight in the fundamental laws of mechanics is essential in order to perform and understand the outcome of a computerised analysis of a mechanical process or system.
