Optimal Structural Design Under Stability Constraints : Springer : 9789024736126 : 9024736129 : 30 Jun 1988 : The first optimal design problem for an elastic column subject to buckling was formulated by Lagrange over 200 years ago. However, rapid development of structural optimization under stability constraints occurred only in the last twenty years. In numerous optimal structural design problems the stability phenomenon becomes one of the most important factors, particularly for slender and thin-walled elements of aerospace structures, ships, precision machines, tall buildings etc. In engineering practice stability constraints appear more often than it might be expected; even when designing a simple beam of constant width and variable depth, the width - if regarded as a design variable - is finally determined by a stability constraint (lateral stability). Mathematically, optimal structural design under stability constraints usually leads to optimization with respect to eigenvalues, b