Plenary Lecture

Soliton-Like Solutions in the Problems of Vibrations 2f Nonlinear Mechanical Systems: Survey

Professor Marina V. Shitikova
Co-author: Yury A. Rossikhin
Research Center on Dynamics of Solids and Structures
Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Voronezh Russia,
E-mail: shitikova@vmail.ru

Abstract: Free vibrations of one-degree-of-freedom, two-degree-of-freedom, as well as multiple-degree-of-freedom nonlinear systems are analyzed and reviewed. In all vibrational systems under consideration, the vibratory regime goes over into the aperiodic motion under certain conditions, in so doing irreversable process of energy exchange from its one type to another type takes place. The solutions describing such processes are written in an analytical form and involve the functions, which are in frequent use in the theory of solitons and play an important role in the theory of vibrations.

Brief Biography of the Speakers: Marina V. Shitikova is a Soros Professor of the Department of Structural Mechanics  and a leading Researcher of the Research Center of Dynamics of Solids and Structures at Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering in Russia. She received her MEng in Civil Engineering in 1982, a PhD degree in Structural Mechanics in 1987 from Voronezh Civil Engineering Institute, a DSc degree in Solid Mechanics in 1995 from the Institute for Problems in Mechanics, Russian Academy of Sciences and a Professorship in 1995 from Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. Since 1994, she has been an Associate Member of the Acoustical Society of America, since 1995 she has been a Member of the EUROMECH, GAMM, the ASME International, and Russian Association “Women in Science and Education”. She has published more than 200 papers dealing with structural mechanics, vibrations, wave dynamics, and acoustics. Her biography has been included in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Science and Technology, 2000 Outstanding Scientists of the 20th Century. She received a Commemorative Medal "1997 Woman of the Year" from the American Biographical Institute. In 1998 she was awarded the Russian President Fellowship for Outstanding Young Doctors of Sciences. Since 2009 she is the Head of the Department of International Education and Cooperation at Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. She was a Fulbright Fellow at Rice University, Houston, Texas in 2007-2008 and a Visiting Professor in different universities.