Book excerpt: The engineering development of concrete structures has reached the stage where dynamic behaviour could be critical to design. Hitherto dynamic behaviour has been a preoccupation of steel designers because of the lighter weight, lower flexibility and lower damping of steel assemblages. Also steel has been used for the more demanding applications where there is less margin for error. However, this is now changing and with the introduction of higher strength materials and more advanced designs, concrete is becoming used in situations that would previously have been the preserve of steel. Designers, researchers and students will therefore find the publication of this volume particularly timely. It addresses the question of when to treat a design or analysis problem as being one of statics or dynamics. The fundamental principles of dynamic analysis of single- and multi-degree-of-freedom systems are explained and worked examples are given. Defined and explained are the different types of dynamic loading (mechanical plant, wind, waves and earthquakes) and the effects, structural fatigue, and human discomfort.