Modeling Nonlinear Problems in the Mechanics of Strings and Rods

Part I Mechanics of Strings.- Mechanics of a String.- Applications of the Mechanics of a String.- Link, Writhe, and Twist.- Part II Mechanics of Rods.- Theory of the Elastica and a Selection of its Applications.- Kirchoff's Rod Theory.- Theory of an Elastic Rod with Extension and Shear.- Green and Naghdi's Rod Theory.- Part III Background Material.- A Rapid Review of Some Elements of Continuum Mechanics.- Variational Methods.

Oliver M. O'Reilly is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB). He received his B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) in 1985. Subsequently, he received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University. At Cornell, he studied under Phil Holmes and Frank Moon. Prior to joining the faculty at UCB in 1992, he spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut für Mechanik at ETH-Zürich under Jürg Dual.

O'Reilly's interests span the fields of continuum mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. He has a broad range of specializations including Cosserat theories of deformable bodies, constrained rigid body dynamics, contact mechanics, linear and nonlinear vibrations, and linear and nonlinear dynamics of deformable bodies. He has applied these interests to a range of applications including soft robots, MEMS resonators, brake squeal, the dynamics of toys, motorcycle navigation, axially moving media, artificial and natural satellites, spinal kinematics, and vehicle collision dynamics. O'Reilly has coauthored over 90 archival journal articles, written three text books and is a co-inventor on two patents. He has also received several teaching awards including U.C. Berkeley's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1999, the Pi-Tau-Sigma Professor of the Year Award in 2003 and the Tau-Beta-Pi Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award in 2013.

"This graduate-level textbook presents models of rods and strings obtained by using balance laws. ... It will introduce students, especially those who are research-oriented, into modern theories. I believe that the book under review is an important addition to the subject, and I strongly recommend it to students and researchers in continuum mechanics, especially in the field of rods and strings." (Teodor Atanackovic, zbMATH 1370.74001, 2017)