Continuous systems, such as beams, membranes, plates, and shells, represent the fundamental structural elements of mechanical components in the aerospace, aeronautical, and automotive fields. In order to properly design complex structures for high speed mechanical applications, it is important to investigate the nonlinear dynamics and vibration of these basic continuous systems.

This Special Issue focuses on sharing recent advances and developments in the theories, algorithms, experiments, and applications that involve the nonlinear dynamics and vibrations of continuous systems. Topics fitting this scope include innovative theoretical studies, advanced numerical simulations, and new experimental approaches to investigate and better understand the complex phenomena related to nonlinear vibrations of continuous systems. Manuscripts must clearly describe the advances over the current state of the art and provide sufficient detail to be reproducible on the basis of the material presented in the paper and the references cited therein.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Nonlinear FE analysis for elasto-plastic and contact problems
• Boundary element, finite difference/volume, meshless approaches
• Composite and functionally graded material continuous structures
• Experimental identification techniques in time and frequency domain
• Vibrations of stepped, damaged, and cracked continuous structures
• Discovery of new, original nonlinear dynamic phenomena
• Vibro-impact dynamics, stability, bifurcations and chaos
• Fluid-structure, piezo-electric, and thermo-elastic interactions
• Impact problems, wave propagation and vibration control
• Nonlinear damping, nonlinear normal modes and localization
• Nonlinear nonstationary dynamics, energy transfers and resonances
• Asymptotic, multiple scale, and harmonic balance perturbation methods
• Micro and nanoscale systems
• Active and passive vibration control of continuous systems