Analysis of Aircraft Structures: An Introduction

Description

As with the first edition, this textbook provides a clear introduction to the fundamental theory of structural analysis as applied to vehicular structures such as aircraft, spacecraft, automobiles and ships. The emphasis is on the application of fundamental concepts of structural analysis that are employed in everyday engineering practice. All approximations are accompanied by a full explanation of their validity. In this new edition, more topics, figures, examples and exercises have been added. There is also a greater emphasis on the finite element method of analysis. Clarity remains the hallmark of this text and it employs three strategies to achieve clarity of presentation: essential introductory topics are covered, all approximations are fully explained and many important concepts are repeated.

Bruce K. Donaldson was first exposed to aircraft inertia loads when he was a carrier-based US Navy antisubmarine pilot. He subsequently worked in the structural dynamics area at the Boeing Company and at the Beech Aircraft Corporation in Wichita, Kansas, before returning to school and embarking on an academic career in the area of structural analysis. He became a professor of aerospace engineering and then a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maryland. Professor Donaldson is the recipient of numerous teaching awards and has maintained industry contacts, working various summers at government agencies and for commercial enterprises, the last being Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. He is the author of Introduction to Structural Dynamics, also published by Cambridge University Press.

Review of the hardback: 'Although the approach is classical, what makes this book different is the extensive and thorough treatment with hundreds of examples, questions and answers. No other textbook offers such a treatment ... The extensive treatment and very large number of examples is welcomed. Cambridge University Press is to be congratulated on producing a quality product for [a] reasonable price ...' G. A. O. Davies, Imperial College London