On the geometrically exact formulation of structural mechanics and its applications to dynamics, control and optimization

In this survey paper we re-examine the theoretical formulation of structural mechanics, introducing no restrictions with respect to the size of displacements, rotations or deformations, which is commonly referred to as geometrically exact. A special attention is given to clarifying the computational aspects of finite rotations as the key ingredient of any such formulation. We briefly discuss several novel applications of the geometrically exact formulation to dynamics, control and optimization. (C) 2003 Academie des sciences. Published by Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.