The present book is intended for (i) graduate students in engineering, (ii) researchers working on vibrations or on shell mechanics and (iii) engineers working on aircraft, missiles, launchers, cars, computer hard and optical disks, storage tanks, heat exchangers, nuclear plants, biomechanics, nano-resonators or thin-walled roofs and other structures in civil engineering. This book contains both theoretical and practical methods that could be of interest for a variety of readers. Expert researchers will find the most recent progress in nonlinear vibrations and the stability of shells and plates, including advanced problems in shells with fluid-structure interaction. Professionals will find many practical concepts, diagrams and numerical results, useful for the design of shells and plates made of traditional and advanced materials. They will be able to understand complex phenomena such as dynamic instability, bifurcations and chaos, without needing an extensive mathematical background. Graduate students will find (i) a complete text on the nonlinear mechanics of shells and plates, collecting almost all the available theories in a simple form, (ii) an introduction to nonlinear dynamics and (iii) the state of art on nonlinear vibrations and the stability of shells and plates, including fluid-structure interaction problems.

My interest in vibrations of shells and plates started with my Master's thesis, more than 16 years ago. However, the turning of my research toward nonlinear vibrations is due to the lucky meeting of two friends: Michael P. Païdoussis and Francesco Pellicano. The three of us have worked together as a team since 1997 on challenging problems of nonlinear vibrations and the stability of circular cylindrical shells with fluid-structure interaction.