Over the last 50 years, the various available methods of investigating dynamic properties of materials have resulted in significant advances in this area of materials science. Dynamic tests have also recently proven to be as efficient as static tests, and have the advantage that they are often easier to use at lower frequency. This book explores dynamic testing, the methods used, and the experiments performed, placing a particular emphasis on the context of bounded medium elastodynamics.

The book initially focuses on the complements of continuum mechanics before moving on to the various types of rod vibrations: extensional, bending and torsional. In addition, chapters contain practical examples alongside theoretical discussion to facilitate the reader's understanding. The results presented are the culmination of over 30 years of research by the authors and will be of great interest to anyone involved in this field.

Yvon Chevalier is Emeritus Professor at the Institut Superieur de Mécanique de Paris (SUPMECA), France. Since 2000 he has been co-editor in chief Mecanique et Industries journal, supported by the French Association of Mechanics. He is a well-known expert in the dynamics of composite materials and propagation of waves in heterogeneous materials. He also has great experience in the areas of hyper-elasticity and non-linear viscoelasticity of rubber materials. 

Jean Tuong Vinh is Emeritus University Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Paris VI in France. He carries out research into theoretical viscoelasticity, non-linear functional Volterra series, computer algorithms in signal processing, frequency Hilbert transform, special impact testing, wave dispersion on rods and continuous elements and solution of related inverse problems.