Structural Safety, 5 (1988) 235-238 235

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., A m s t e r d a m - Printed in The N e t h e r l a n d s

BOOK REVIEWS

Reliability of Randomly Excited Hysteretic Structures, by B.F Spencer, (Lecture Notes in En-
gineering, 21) Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, F.R.G., 1986, xiii + 138 pp., D M 34.00, ISBN
3-540-16863-X.

The text is a monograph which summarizes the research experience of the author with his
original contributions to the reliability assessment of single-degree-of-freedom oscillators (linear,
non-linear or hysteretic) excited by a stationary Gaussian stochastic process. The volume can be
regarded as a lengthy original p a p e r - - t o be a conventional book it would require more details on
existing theories as well as deeper criticisms of the mechanical model adopted and the treatment
of the mathematical aspects of convergence of the algorithms.
The first chapter contains a remarkable state-of-the-art of the problem. It is complete in terms
of U.S. books and journals but significant European and Asian contributions are not included.
Chapter 2 summarizes the endochronic hysteretic constitutive law but no comment is made on its
weaknesses from a mechanics point of view. It also states the governing relations of the first
passage distribution and the equation for computing its moments.
Chapter 3 illustrates the numerical solution of the first passage problem by a three-dimen-
sional Petrov-Galerkin finite element method. The results of several applications are verified by
Monte Carlo Simulation in Chapter 4. The reliability of the system is derived in Chapter 5 by a
maximum entropy approach applied to the first moments of the time-to-failure.
The procedures presented do not offer immediate practical applications. Therefore, the book,
which is clear and readable, is especially suitable for scientists working in stochastic mechanics.
Chapters 3 and 5 may be of particular interest.

FABIO CASCIATI
University of Pavia
Pavia, Italy

Structural Reliability, Analysis and Predictions, by R.E. Melchers, John Wiley & Sons (Ellis
Horwood), Chichester, U.K., 1987, 400 pp., £57.50, ISBN 0-853-12930-4.

Recently, there have been several books published dealing with structural reliability. Melchers'
book definitely is one of the best with regard to overall appearance, areas covered and ways of
presentation. The author managed to cover a broad range of traditional and new emerging
methods up to 1983.
The major topics include: formulation of the problem (limit states, probability of failure,
reliability index); reliability assessment (types of uncertainty, risk, human errors and in particu-
lar gross errors); numerical evaluation of reliability (integration and simulation methods, Monte
Carlo techniques, importance sampling); second-moment and transformation methods
(Hasofer-Lind reliability index, normal transformation, Rackwitz-Fiessler procedure); system
reliability models (failure criteria, Monte Carlo simulation for systems, first-order and second-
order reliability bounds, reliability models for complex systems); time-dependent reliability
236

(stochastic processes, load combination models and brief sections on dynamics and fatigue); load
models (wind, wave loading and building live load); resistance models (statistical data on
hot-rolled steel members); and development of design codes (general procedure, recent examples,
example of code calibration-steel beam bending criteria). The appendices provide a summary of
probability theory and derivations of useful transformation formulae (Rosenblatt and others).
Most of the text is written in an easy to understand way. However in some chapters (3, 4, 5)
the mathematical formulations are not always clear and may even be somewhat confusing. The
theoretical derivations are kept at a medium level, and the reader is referred to the available
references for in-depth coverage.
The book may easily serve as a textbook for a graduate course on safety of structures. It may
also be used as a summary of the available structural reliability methods.

A N D R Z E J S. N O W A K
Ann Arbor, MI, U.S.A.

Random Vibration--Status and Recent Developments, edited by I. Elishakov and R.H. Lyon,
(Studies in Applied Mechanics, 14), Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1986, xx + 565 pp.,
Dfl.495.00, ISBN 0-444-42665-5.

This book is a collection of 33 papers written by 50 experts from fifteen countries. The papers
are mainly written as a dedication on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Professor Stephen
Crandall. The book begins with a dedication statement including a biographical sketch and a list
of publications of Professor Crandall. The papers are arranged in alphabetical order of the
authors' names. The papers cover a wide spectrum of problems encountered in random vibration
such as stochastic stability, linear and nonlinear random responses to stationary and nonsta-
tionary random excitations, design optimization, and reliability of structures.
The stochastic stability of dynamic systems is addressed in three papers. The stability
boundaries of linear supported pipes conveying pulsating fluid were determined for wide-band
fluid flow fluctuations by Ariaratnam and Namachchivaya. The amount of damping necessary to
ensure stability is found to depend only on those values of excitation spectral density near a
frequency of twice or the sum or the difference of the system eigenvalues. Kozin presented a
brief survey pertaining to the stochastic stability of differential equations with randomly
fluctuating parameters. He also considered other cases such as random delay equations and
discrete-parameter stochastic equations. Seide examined the critical spectral density of loading,
required for beam snap-through.
The random responses of different dynamic systems such as vibro-impact systems, beams,
plates, vehicles, and aerospace structures are treated in ten papers. Dimentberg and Menyailov
provided a survey of methods for the random vibration analysis of lumped-parameter systems
with impacts. The general case of vibro-impact single-degree-of-freedom systems with external
and parametric white noise excitations a n d / o r inelastic impact is solved for the stationary
probability density of the response energy. The random response of a beam resting on elastic
foundation to a moving random force is analyzed by Fr~ba. The response of the beam is found
to be quasi-stationary which depends on the coordinate of the traveling force if the elastic
foundation and the load are stationary and ergodic processes. Hennig and Roberts derived the
response probability distribution of a single-degree-of-freedom system with nonlinear damping