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  • Book
  • © 2013

Constructal Law and the Unifying Principle of Design

  • Captures a world-wide movement toward design as science
  • Unifies physics and biology, and discusses the place of the Constructal Law in physics and thermodynamics
  • Features an interdisciplinary approach that spans engineering, physics, biology, and the social sciences
  • Demonstrates that a single law governs design of disparate phenomena
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Understanding Complex Systems (UCS)

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Table of contents (17 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
  2. The Constructal Design of Humanity on the Globe

    • A. Bejan, Sylvie Lorente
    Pages 1-20
  3. Leaf Shapes and Venation Patterns

    • A. H. Reis
    Pages 41-49
  4. Drainage Basins Evolution with Non-erodible Regions

    • M. R. Errera, C. A. Marin
    Pages 51-68
  5. Constructal Design of High-Conductivity Inserts

    • J. A. Souza, J. C. Ordonez
    Pages 91-111
  6. Constructal Design of T-Shaped Water Distribution Networks

    • P. Bieupoude, Y. Azoumah, P. Neveu
    Pages 113-130
  7. Constructal Design of Rectangular Conjugate Cooling Channels

    • T. Bello-Ochende, O. T. Olakoyejo, J. P. Meyer
    Pages 177-194
  8. Flow of Stresses: Constructal Design of Perforated Plates Subjected to Tension or Buckling

    • L. A. Isoldi, M. V. Real, A. L. G. Correia, J. Vaz, E. D. dos Santos, L. A. O. Rocha
    Pages 195-217
  9. Equipartition of Joulean Heat in Thermoelectric Generators

    • Achintya Kumar Pramanick
    Pages 219-230
  10. Constructal Design of Refrigeration Devices

    • H. Zhang, X. Liu, R. Xiong, S. Zhu
    Pages 231-258
  11. Constructal Design of Vortex Tubes

    • E. D. dos Santos, C. H. Marques, G. Stanescu, L. A. Isoldi, L. A. O. Rocha
    Pages 259-273
  12. Constructal Design of Wave Energy Converters

    • E. D. dos Santos, B. N. Machado, N. Lopes, J. A. Souza, P. R. F. Teixeira, M. N. Gomes et al.
    Pages 275-294
  13. Constructal Design of Thermal Systems

    • L. A. O. Rocha, E. D. dos Santos, D. C. Cunha, F. L. Garcia, G. Lorenzini, C. Biserni et al.
    Pages 295-321
  14. Back Matter

    Pages 323-328

About this book

Design happens everywhere, whether in animate objects (e.g., dendritic lung structures, bacterial colonies, and corals), inanimate patterns (river basins, beach slope, and dendritic crystals), social dynamics (pedestrian traffic flows), or engineered systems (heat dissipation in electronic circuitry). This “design in nature” often takes on remarkably similar patterns, which can be explained under one unifying Constructal Law. This book explores the unifying power of the Constructal Law and its applications in all domains of design generation and evolution, ranging from biology and geophysics to globalization, energy, sustainability, and security. 

The Constructal Law accounts for the universal tendency of flow systems to morph into evolving configurations that provide greater and easier access over time. The Constructal Law resolves the many and contradictory ad hoc statements of “optimality”, end design, and destiny in nature, such as minimum and maximum entropy production and minimum and maximum flow resistance, and also explains the designs that are observed and copied in biomimetics.

Constructal Law and the Unifying Principle of Design covers the fundamentals of Constructal Theory and Design, as well as presenting a variety of state-of-the-art applications. Experts from the biological, physical and social sciences demonstrate the unification of all design phenomena in nature, and apply this knowledge to novel designs in modern engineering, such as vascularization for self-healing and self-cooling materials for aircraft, and tree fins and cavities for heat transfer enhancement.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Sul - UFRGS, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Luiz A.O. Rocha

  • , LMDC, INSA, University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France

    Sylvie Lorente

  • Dept. Mechanical Engineering &, Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, USA

    Adrian Bejan

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access