This volume elaborates on mechatronics as the synergistic integration of mechanical engineering with electronics and intelligent computer control in the design and manufacturing of industrial products and processes. It considers the integration of mechanical systems (mechanical elements, components, machines), electronic systems (microelectronics, sensor and actuator technology), and information technology. The book's chapters present the principles of mechatronic systems design and solid materials in small elementary steps, provide an abundance of examples, and feature problems that are as practical as possible without becoming too involved with many extraneous details.
Satya Bir Singh, PhD, is a Professor of Mathematics at Punjabi University Patiala in India. Prior to this, he worked as an Assistant Professor in Mathematics at the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India. With 21 years of teaching and research experience, he has published about 125 research papers in journals and given invited talks at conferences and workshops. He has also organized several national and international conferences. He has been a coordinator and principal investigator of several schemes funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; the University Grants Commission; and the All India Council for Technical Education.
Prabhat Ranjan, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechatronics Engineering at Manipal University Jaipur. He is the author of two books and has published research papers in peer-reviewed journals and many book chapters. He has received the prestigious President Award of Manipal University Jaipur, India; a Material Design Scholarship from Imperial College of London, UK; a DAAD Fellowship; and the CFCAM-France Award. Dr. Ranjan has received several grants and also participated in national and international conferences and summer schools.
Alexander V. Vakhrushev, DSc, is a Professor at the M.T. Kalashnikov Izhevsk State Technical University in Izhevsk, Russia, where he teaches theory, calculating, and design of nano- and microsystems. He is also the Chief Researcher of the Department of Information-Measuring Systems of the Institute of Mechanics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Head of the Department of Nanotechnology and Microsystems of Kalashnikov Izhevsk State Technical University. With over 400 publications to his name, Dr. Vakhrushev has received several awards, including an Academician A. F. Sidorov Prize from the Ural Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the designation of Honorable Scientist of the Udmurt Republic.
A. K. Haghi, PhD, is the author and editor of over 200 books as well as over 1000 published papers in journals and conference proceedings. Dr. Haghi has received several grants, consulted for a number of major corporations, and is a frequent speaker to national and international audiences. Since 1983, he served as professor at several universities. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Chemoinformatics and Chemical Engineering and Polymers Research Journal and is on the editorial boards of many international journals. He is also a member of the Canadian Research and Development Center of Sciences and Cultures.
