Nonlinear Dynamics 34: 1–2, 2003.

Preface

Professor Werner Schiehlen

This special issue of Nonlinear Dynamics contains selected papers that were presented at the Fourth Symposium on Multibody Dynamics and Vibration held in Chicago, Illinois during the period of 3–6 September 2003. This symposium was organized to honor Professor Werner Schiehlen’s sixty-fifth birthday. Papers authored by researchers from 22 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America were presented at this symposium. These countries include Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The authors of these papers gathered in order to express their appreciation for Werner’s distinguished service and significant contributions to the mechanics community. The papers presented at this meeting discussed various topics that included impact dynamics, numerical and computer methods, multi-body system modeling and applications, and rigid and flexible body dynamics. This special issue contains selected papers that are focused on the topic of flexible multi-body system dynamics. The Institute B for Mechanics at the University of Stuttgart under the leadership of Werner has been recognized as a leading educational center in the area of computational mechanics. Such recognition does not come without sustained efforts of excellent and internationally recognized leadership. Leading researchers in the field of multi-body system dynamics were trained, visited, and lectured at this institution. Werner has carried out extensive research work in different areas in mechanics including multi-body system dynamics, vibration, mechatronics, railroad vehicles, and nonlinear dynamics. He has published extensively in the area of multi-body dynamics and introduced

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Preface

novel approaches that are widely used. He developed, with his students, one of the first multibody system computer programs NEWEUL that is widely used by the European industry. He closely examined the use of recursive formulations that are based on the joint variables and was one of the leading researchers in the field who worked on a major project supported by the German government to compare different formulations and computer codes. Werner’s book Multi-body System Handbook is one of the main references on the subject of multi-body system dynamics. He also conducted extensive research in the area of railroad vehicle dynamics, and he is coauthor of the excellent book Fahrzeugdynamik which provides a very clear and comprehensive presentation of the dynamics of rail and road vehicles, and also discusses in detail the multi-body system formulations as applied to this important technological system. Regarding his service to our scientific community, Werner has served as the President of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM). He is the Founding Editor of the first technical journal in the field of multi-body systems, Multibody System Dynamics, and still serves as its Editor in Chief. Werner has also served on the editorial board of more than ten journals, has edited a large number of books, and organized a large number of symposia, workshops, and conferences. He also has given keynote lectures at many institutions and conferences. He is currently serving as the first chair of IFToMM Technical Committee on Multi-Body System Dynamics, and is a member of the ASME Technical Committee on Multi-Body Systems and Nonlinear Dynamics. He has received numerous awards and recognition, including honorary doctorate degrees. As the Guest Editor of this issue, I would like to express my appreciation to Werner for his distinguished service and contributions. I would also like to express my appreciation to all who participated in the meeting to honor our distinguished colleague. Their efforts and excellent presentations contributed to the success of this event. The papers contained in this special issue reflect the high quality of the work presented at this meeting and I hope that the research presented in this issue will be of important and lasting value to the readers of the journal of Nonlinear Dynamics. Ahmed Shabana Guest Editor Chicago, 2003