An Introduction To Homogenization

This book provides a self-contained and authoritative introduction to the mathematical theory of homogenization, which describes the replacement of a real composite material by a fictitious homogeneous one. This topic is especially important now that composite materials are widely used in industry: well-known examples are the superconducting multi-filamentary composites which are used in the composition of optical fibres. The aim of the theory is to describe the macroscopic properties of the composite by taking into account the properties of the microscopic structure. The first four chapters cover variational methods for partial differential equations, which is the natural framework of homogenization theory. The text then discusses the homogenization of several kinds of second-order boundary value problems. Particular attention is given to the classical examples of the steady and non-steady heat equations, the wave equation and the linearized system of elasticity. All topics are illustrated by figures and numerous examples. The authors are leading experts in the field and highly regarded as expositors. This book has grown out of their extensive experience of teaching the subject, and is an ideal textbook for a graduate course.