Generalized Continuum Mechanics and Engineering Applications : 9781785480324 : 20 Oct 2015 : The new concept of metamaterial is increasingly attracting the interest of physicists and mechanical engineers. Such materials are obtained by suitably assembling multiple individual elements but usually arranged in (quasi-)periodic substructures in order to show exotic global mechanical properties. Indeed, the particular shape, geometry, size, orientation and arrangement of their constituting elements can affect, the propagation of waves of light or sound in a manner not observed in natural materials, creating material properties which may give rise to unexpected engineering applications. Particularly promising in the design and description of metamaterials are those micro-structures which present high contrasts in their mechanical properties: these micro-structures, once homogenized, may produce generalized continuum media, for example, second gradient or micromorphic. Many scientific challe