ABSTRACT
For the purposes of this book, structures can be divided into four groups. The ˜rst is the simplest structure, which is the one-dimensional beam discussed in this chapter. The second is the two-dimensional plate, the details of which are discussed in Chapter 5. The third is the three-dimensional shell, the cylindrical version of which is studied thoroughly in Chapter 7. Chapter 6 considers built-up shells, which are constructed of a series of plates; many complicated shell problems can be solved by using this procedure. The fourth group is the three-dimensional body, which can have different properties as a function of space and can be elastic, viscoelastic, and ’uid. This is discussed in Chapter 8. In this section of Chapter 4, the basic equations for each of these cases will be discussed and it will be left to the reader to study the details in the chapters that discuss them in detail.
