Structural stability

The paper attempts a broad overview of the vast ®eld of stability of structures, including elastic and anelastic structures, static and dynamic response, linear and non-linear behavior, energy approach, thermodynamic aspects, creep stability and fracture or damage-induced instability. The importance of stability theory to various ®elds of engineering and applied science is pointed out and the history of the discipline is brie¯y sketched. The principal accomplishments are succinctly reviewed, and fruitful recent trends, particularly the stability analysis of damage localization and fracture, are emphasized. Only selected references are given