Numerous applications of rod structures in civil engineering, aircraft
and spacecraft confirm the importance of the topic. On the other hand
the majority of books on structural mechanics use some simplifying
hypotheses; these hypotheses do not allow to consider some important
effects, for instance the boundary layer effects near the points of
junction of rods. So the question concerning the limits of applicability
of structural mechanics hypotheses and the possibilities of their
refinement arise. In this connection the asymptotic analysis of
equations of mathematical physics, the equations of elasticity in rod
structures (without these hypotheses and simplifying assumptions being
imposed) is undertaken in the present book. Moreover, a lot of modern
structures are made of composite materials and therefore the material of
the rods is not homogeneous. This inhomogeneity of the material can
generate some unexpected effects. These effects are analysed in this
book. The methods of multi-scale modelling are presented by the
homogenization, multi-level asymptotic analysis and the domain
decomposition. These methods give an access to a new class of hybrid
models combining macroscopic description with "microscopic zooms".