Vibration refers to mechanical oscillations about an equilibrium point . The oscillations may be periodic such as the motion of a pendulum or random such as the movement of a tire on a gravel road. Vibration is occasionally "desirable". For example the motion of a tuning fork, the reed in a woodwind instrument or harmonica, or the cone of a loudspeaker is desirable vibration, necessary for the correct functioning of the various devices. More often, vibration is undesirable, wasting energy and creating unwanted sound -- noise. For example, the vibrational motions of engines, electric motors, or any mechanical device in operation are typically unwanted. Such vibrations can be caused by imbalances in the rotating parts, uneven friction, the meshing of gear teeth, etc. Careful designs usually minimise unwanted vibrations. This book presents leading research from around the world in this field.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Trends in Vibration-based Structural Health Monitoring of Railway Sleepers; Vibration Analysis of Pre-twisted Beams Using the Differential Quadrature Method; Vibration Reduction in Rotor-Bearing Systems through Vibration Analysis and Optimum Shape Design; A Model Test on a Clamped Cantilever Beam; Regular and Chaotic Vibrations of Mechanical Systems in Models of Coupled Rotators; Utility of Mechanical Vibration Method for Studying Physical Properties of Solid Materials; Measurement of Behavioral Uncertainties in Mechanical Vibration Systems: A Symbolic Dynamics Approach; Low Frequency Mechanical Vibrations in Viruses; Nonlinear Electromechanical Devises: Dynamics and Synchronization; Nonlinear Output Frequency Response Functions: Concept, Properties and Applications in Mechanical Vibration Analysis; Experimental Investigations of Oscillatory Motions of an Engine-Propeller Nonlinear Dynamical System; Application of Vibration Measurements and Finite Element Model Updating for Structural Health Monitoring of Ballasted Railtrack Sleepers with Voids and Pockets; A Review of Damage Detection and Health Monitoring of Mechanical Systems from Changes in the Measurement of Linear and Non-linear Vibrations; Vibration Measurements and Analysis for Mechanical Fault Detection in Production Line; Use of Horizontal Mechanical Vibrations to Fluidize Micrometric Powders; Vibration of Postbuckled FGM Plates in Thermal Environment; Plants as Medium for Communication with Mechanical Vibrations; Embedding of Lie Algebras, Contractions and the State Labeling Problem; Decision Fusion; Vibration Control of Beams via Piezoelectric Transducers; New Methods for the Computation's of Direct and Inverse Mechanical Vibration Problems; Dynamic Vibration Absorbers Augmented by an Active Controller.