Preface

We believe ourselves to be incredibly lucky to be co-workers of Francesco dell’Isola, whom each of us met in different periods of their lives. We all have in common the fact that, soon after meeting him, we understood that he is a unique scientist, not only because of his extremely wide knowledge and erudition, but also because of his illuminating presence among his students and colleagues: Francesco dell’Isola knows that teamwork is crucially important in science. While he is always busy doing something scientifically, he puts much effort into inspiring new students as well as in helping to create ingenious connections between people. The workshops that he organizes in Arpino, where one is allowed to interrupt the speaker to discuss any single point—the devil is in the details, after all—and where the time schedule has not to be strictly followed (like Italian trains do!), have definitely determined some of the recent research lines in theoretical and applied mechanics. Such gatherings lead to establishment of many international research collaborations. Therefore, we can confidently state that Francesco dell’Isola is a true influencer of contemporary continuum mechanics. We dedicate this book to him on the occasion of his 60th birthday, with the wish of continuing in his activities for many more years, full of energy and curiosity.