The early books on stability of structures by S.P. Timoshenko, and F. Bleich treat a variety
of problems normally encountered in engineering. However, the discussion in these excellent
texts is limited to classical techniques and to metallic materials. In view of the rapid advance-
advancement in computer technology and the development of new techniques for solving engineering
problems, the classical techniques have become purely of academic interest. Further, new
materials such as fibre reinforced composites are increasingly being used because of the
many advantages they have over the conventional metallic materials.
Today, the numerical techniques, for example, the finite element and finite difference
techniques, are extensively applied for the solution of real-life problems. Accordingly, a large
number of good books covering such techniques is available. However, each presents the
applicability of only one or the other technique to structural stability problems. This text, on
the other hand, lucidly discusses the structural applications of both the categories of techni-
techniques, i.e., numerical and classical, and, in the process, also compares their performance. It
essentially consists of two 'sections'. In one, mainly the one-dimensional structures, viz.,
columns, beams, and frames, are studied and, in the other, the two-dimensional structures,
namely, plates, are dealt with. In both the sections, the elastic and inelastic behaviour of the
structures is analyzed. The emphasis throughout is on the illustration of the techniques
through numerous worked-out numerical examples. There is a conscious effort to present
the results in a nondimensional form so that these results are applicable for different
materials, including composite materials.
The text is specially designed for the undergraduate/graduate in aeronautical, civil, and
mechanical engineering. It would also be useful to the practising engineer.
I am indebted to my graduate students, M.K. Patra, P.J. Soni, and S.P. Joshi, for the
help they extended in solving the numerical problems. Also, the financial assistance granted
by the Quality Improvement Programme established by the Ministry of Education and Culture
at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, for the preparation of the manuscript is
gratefully acknowledged. Finally, I am extremely thankful to my wife, Leela, and sons, Garud
and Raghuram, for the patience they showed while I was busy completing this effort.