Alexander G. Kolpakov

In recent years the traditional subject of continuum mechanics has grown rapidly and many new techniques have emerged. This text provides a rigorous, yet accessible introduction to the basic concepts of the network approximation method and provides a unified approach for solving a wide variety of applied problems. As a unifying theme, the authors discuss in detail the transport problem in a system of bodies. They solve the problem of closely placed bodies using the new method of network approximation for PDE with discontinuous coefficients, developed in the 2000s by applied mathematicians in the USA and Russia. Intended for graduate students in applied mathematics and related fields such as physics, chemistry and engineering, the book is also a useful overview of the topic for researchers in these areas.

Rapidly varying material and geometrical characteristics of composite materials and structures do not allow the direct study of their mechanical behavior even with the use of modern computers. This book is devoted to the mechanical design and optimization problems of composite structures, based on the previously developed asymptotic homogenization models and on the newly elaborated rigorous mathematical methods. It describes how to construct mathematically rigorous mechanical models to determine strength, stiffness, and weight minimization requirements, all important factors of design and optimization.