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A review of the IABSE symposium on the maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of bridges, Washington, 1982
Hybrid and Mixed Finite Element Methods S. N. Atluri, R. H. Gallagher attd O. C Zienkiewicz J o h n Wiley, April 1 9 8 3 , 5 8 4 pp., $ 6 8 . 2 0 / £ 3 1 . 0 0 ISBN 0471 10486 8 This is the first book, say the publishers, on the subject of hybrid and m i x e d finite elements. It is based on the International S y m p o s i u m on Hybrid and Mixed Finite Element Methods held in Atlanta, Georgia and contains 28 contributed articles by international researchers. The topics of mathematics; mechanics; applications of hybrid and mixed finite element m e t h o d s and applications to solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and fracture mechanics are covered.
BOOK REVIEWS A Review of the IABSE Symposium on the Maintenance, Repair and Rehabilitation of Bridges, Washington, 1982 The Final Report of the IABSE S y m p o s i u m on the Maintenance, Repair and Rehabilitation of Bridges is a most instructive d o c u m e n t on many counts. Firstly there are papers on the restoration and strengthening of i m p o r t a n t historic bridges. This topic is of great concern all over the world because of the very rapid growth in the loads transported by road, and alongside this a realisation by m a n y people that bridges, like buildings, are part of their cultural heritage. It is interesting to n o t e a c o m m e n t at the end of the paper by Le Franc and Virlogeux that ' T h e restoration of the six destroyed arches (of the Tours Bridge) and the strengthening of the (eleven) still standing piers, has been almost as expensive as a new bridge would have been'. Secondly the general problems of maintenance and repair of reinforced and prestressed concrete are openly discussed. The prevailing view that concrete structures require mininlal maintenance is clearly not tenable. Part of the problem of the proper maintenance of concrete bridges is the difficulty of detecting faults and incipient faults. By the time the defect is visible, the damage is often expensive. The third major contribution from this collection of papers is the d o c u m e n t a t i o n of the effectiveness of different m e t h o d s of repair particularly of concrete bridges. A question raised in several papers, sometimes implicitly, is whether the m o d e r n design m e t h o d s tend to lead to easily damaged or sensitive structures. This is a subject that requires more attention. Theoretically o p t i m u m designs are often statically determinate, and hence damage to one part of the structure may lead to collapse of the whole. Also requiring more attention is the problem of making realistic assessments of the maintenance costs, and assimilating them into the e c o n o m i c assessment. This voltime will be of great interest not only to bridge engineers, but also to all who work with prestressed and reinforced concrete.
Projessor H. Tottenhanl Hume, Tottenham and Bennett. Romsey, Hants, UK
Computational Hydraulics Brebbia and Ferrante The B u t t e r w o r t h Group, March 1983, £20 ISBN 408011 53 X This book covers most aspects of fluid flow for engineers, with a strong bias towards m e t h o d s of solution. Similar to
Computational Methods for the Solution of Engineering Problems, the book presents c o m p u t e r programs written in F O R T R A N , for use in the solution of each major topic covered by the book.
62
Applied Ocean Research, 1984, Vol. 6, No. 1
lhe first two c/lapters introduce tile essential conccpl> of fluid flow in a way which is easily read and understood, lhc next two chapters cover most aspects ,~f flow in pipes including two programs for the solution of pipe networks. In the authors' customary fashion the programs are i~eatly d o c u m e n t e d and arc thoroughly tested. The similarities between the programs here and elsewhere serve only to reinforce one's understanding of the finite element technique. Chapter 5 covers open channel flow in a brief but concise manner with more F O R T R A N code for the calculation of depth of flow. in Chapter 6 two c o m p u t e r programs for the solution of the Laplace equation are given one using finite elements and the other using a more efficient and innovative technique using boundary elements. The final chapters cover the more advanced concepts of the Navier-Stokes equations and turbomachinery. In conclusion Computational Itydraulics is written in a very concise style which is also very readable, the advanced nature of the text being shrouded by the apparent ease with which it explains each topic.
Paul Tugwell Computational Meehanics, Ashurst, Southampton. UK
Geothermal Reservoir Engineering Malcolm A. Grant, E. M. G. Donaldson and Paul F. Bixley Academic Press, New York, 1982 Reservoir engineering in oil and gas resources has developed dramatically in the last ten years. The interpretation of reservoir p e r f o r m a n c e has become more soundly based on physical principles rather than empirical models. However, the emerging science of geothermal reservoir engineering offers challenging new areas for development. The authors draw on their own experience for the case studies that are used as descriptive examples of the application of the analyses. The book is exceedingly well organised in terms of the logical sequence of presentation and, rare for a t e x t b o o k , can be read at a superficial level without losing the thread of the argument in the detail. The first five chapters cover an i n t r o d u c t i o n to geothermal reservoir engineering and highlight the specific difficulties faced in dealing with multiphase fluids in fractured and porous media. 38 pages are devoted to the very i m p o r t a n t , but often overlooked, measurement of flow. At all times the book concentrates on the art of the practical rather than the esoteric. Sufficient background references are given to enable any particular detail to be followed up. However, one criticism is that there are occasions when the text would have benefited from further explanation or example taken from the original reference. The authors state that the preparation for the book c o m m e n c e d in 1979 and therefore most of the i n f o r m a t i o n is still current and applicable to the structures discussed. The book does concentrate virtually exclusively on the hydraulic reservoir diagnosis techniques. No m e n t i o n is made of systematic microseismicity or tilt meter monitoring as a reservoir diagnostic tool, but there is a small section which correlates subsidence to reservoir pressure. This is one of the first books to concentrate on the problem of this type of reservoir, and it is an excellent guide to the subject. It is a first class i n t r o d u c t o r y text with sufficient detail to make it useful to practising engineers. It will enable the reader to appreciate the value of reservoir engineering data and the limitations on the accuracy of the interpretations. The n u m e r o u s case studies have not necessarily been chosen because of their classic response and there are several which have ambiguous solutions. The authors highlight these difficulties as part of the developing subject, and the book can be r e c o m m e n d e d without hesitation.
A. S. Batchelor Camborne School of Mines. Geothermal Energy Project. Corn wail, UK
BOOK REVIEWS A Review of the IABSE Symposium on the Maintenance, Repair and Rehabilitation of Bridges, Washington, 1982 The Final Report of the IABSE S y m p o s i u m on the Maintenance, Repair and Rehabilitation of Bridges is a most instructive d o c u m e n t on many counts. Firstly there are papers on the restoration and strengthening of i m p o r t a n t historic bridges. This topic is of great concern all over the world because of the very rapid growth in the loads transported by road, and alongside this a realisation by m a n y people that bridges, like buildings, are part of their cultural heritage. It is interesting to n o t e a c o m m e n t at the end of the paper by Le Franc and Virlogeux that ' T h e restoration of the six destroyed arches (of the Tours Bridge) and the strengthening of the (eleven) still standing piers, has been almost as expensive as a new bridge would have been'. Secondly the general problems of maintenance and repair of reinforced and prestressed concrete are openly discussed. The prevailing view that concrete structures require mininlal maintenance is clearly not tenable. Part of the problem of the proper maintenance of concrete bridges is the difficulty of detecting faults and incipient faults. By the time the defect is visible, the damage is often expensive. The third major contribution from this collection of papers is the d o c u m e n t a t i o n of the effectiveness of different m e t h o d s of repair particularly of concrete bridges. A question raised in several papers, sometimes implicitly, is whether the m o d e r n design m e t h o d s tend to lead to easily damaged or sensitive structures. This is a subject that requires more attention. Theoretically o p t i m u m designs are often statically determinate, and hence damage to one part of the structure may lead to collapse of the whole. Also requiring more attention is the problem of making realistic assessments of the maintenance costs, and assimilating them into the e c o n o m i c assessment. This voltime will be of great interest not only to bridge engineers, but also to all who work with prestressed and reinforced concrete.
Projessor H. Tottenhanl Hume, Tottenham and Bennett. Romsey, Hants, UK
Computational Hydraulics Brebbia and Ferrante The B u t t e r w o r t h Group, March 1983, £20 ISBN 408011 53 X This book covers most aspects of fluid flow for engineers, with a strong bias towards m e t h o d s of solution. Similar to
Computational Methods for the Solution of Engineering Problems, the book presents c o m p u t e r programs written in F O R T R A N , for use in the solution of each major topic covered by the book.
62
Applied Ocean Research, 1984, Vol. 6, No. 1
lhe first two c/lapters introduce tile essential conccpl> of fluid flow in a way which is easily read and understood, lhc next two chapters cover most aspects ,~f flow in pipes including two programs for the solution of pipe networks. In the authors' customary fashion the programs are i~eatly d o c u m e n t e d and arc thoroughly tested. The similarities between the programs here and elsewhere serve only to reinforce one's understanding of the finite element technique. Chapter 5 covers open channel flow in a brief but concise manner with more F O R T R A N code for the calculation of depth of flow. in Chapter 6 two c o m p u t e r programs for the solution of the Laplace equation are given one using finite elements and the other using a more efficient and innovative technique using boundary elements. The final chapters cover the more advanced concepts of the Navier-Stokes equations and turbomachinery. In conclusion Computational Itydraulics is written in a very concise style which is also very readable, the advanced nature of the text being shrouded by the apparent ease with which it explains each topic.
Paul Tugwell Computational Meehanics, Ashurst, Southampton. UK
Geothermal Reservoir Engineering Malcolm A. Grant, E. M. G. Donaldson and Paul F. Bixley Academic Press, New York, 1982 Reservoir engineering in oil and gas resources has developed dramatically in the last ten years. The interpretation of reservoir p e r f o r m a n c e has become more soundly based on physical principles rather than empirical models. However, the emerging science of geothermal reservoir engineering offers challenging new areas for development. The authors draw on their own experience for the case studies that are used as descriptive examples of the application of the analyses. The book is exceedingly well organised in terms of the logical sequence of presentation and, rare for a t e x t b o o k , can be read at a superficial level without losing the thread of the argument in the detail. The first five chapters cover an i n t r o d u c t i o n to geothermal reservoir engineering and highlight the specific difficulties faced in dealing with multiphase fluids in fractured and porous media. 38 pages are devoted to the very i m p o r t a n t , but often overlooked, measurement of flow. At all times the book concentrates on the art of the practical rather than the esoteric. Sufficient background references are given to enable any particular detail to be followed up. However, one criticism is that there are occasions when the text would have benefited from further explanation or example taken from the original reference. The authors state that the preparation for the book c o m m e n c e d in 1979 and therefore most of the i n f o r m a t i o n is still current and applicable to the structures discussed. The book does concentrate virtually exclusively on the hydraulic reservoir diagnosis techniques. No m e n t i o n is made of systematic microseismicity or tilt meter monitoring as a reservoir diagnostic tool, but there is a small section which correlates subsidence to reservoir pressure. This is one of the first books to concentrate on the problem of this type of reservoir, and it is an excellent guide to the subject. It is a first class i n t r o d u c t o r y text with sufficient detail to make it useful to practising engineers. It will enable the reader to appreciate the value of reservoir engineering data and the limitations on the accuracy of the interpretations. The n u m e r o u s case studies have not necessarily been chosen because of their classic response and there are several which have ambiguous solutions. The authors highlight these difficulties as part of the developing subject, and the book can be r e c o m m e n d e d without hesitation.
A. S. Batchelor Camborne School of Mines. Geothermal Energy Project. Corn wail, UK