Structural Impact addresses the behavior of structures and components subjected to large dynamic loads that produce inelastic deformations. This field particularly interests those concerned with the crashworthiness design of aircraft, buses, cars, trains, ships and marine structures, and the energy-absorbing characteristics of various components for a wide range of safety calculations. The initial five chapters introduce the rigid plastic methods of analysis of the static behavior and the dynamic response of beams, plates and shells. These chapters develop the key features of the subject from an engineering viewpoint, and are followed by several chapters on various phenomena of importance in structural impact. The influence of transverse shear, rotatory inertia, finite-displacements and material strain rate sensitivity are introduced and studied in detail. Dynamic progressive buckling, which develops in several energy absorbing systems, is introduced in the penultimate chapter. Finally, the scaling laws are examined since they are important for relating the response of small-scale experimental tests to the behavior of full-scale prototypes. The author, who has gained extensive experience in the impact field and has published over 120 publications in the past twenty years, presents the material in an appealingly simple, yet rigorous manner. This book is for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in engineering, and design engineers.

Industry Reviews

'... will make a valuable contribution to this important and difficult area of structural mechanics. Structural Impact is well written ... and can be recommended as a reference textbook ...' Applied Mechanics Review
'... a welcome addition to the collection of any upper-division undergraduate engineering library.' Choice
Review of the first edition: '... an invaluable reference aid to a most difficult subject area, but is also structured to build knowledge progressively from very simple principles to the analysis of complex structures. This makes it a good book for teaching but also for practising engineers.' Materials and Design
'... a pleasure to read. It can be used as a textbook at a graduate/undergraduate level and will also be valuable to practising engineers. This book is recommended strongly to anyone interested in impact ...' Shock and Vibration Digest