This book is a collection of selected reviewed papers that were presented at the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Symposium "Mechanical waves for composite structures characterization". The Symposium took place June 14-17, 2000 in Chania, Crete, Greece. As is customary, IUTAM Symposia Proceedings are published in the series "Solid Mechanics and Its Applications" by Kluwer Academic Publishers. I am indebted to Professor G. M. L. Gladwell who is the series editor. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Professor M. A. Hayes the Secretary General of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and a member ofthe Symposium's Scientific Committee. His constant encouragement and support made the Symposium not only possible but also successful. To the success also contributed all the members of the Symposium's Scientific Committee which I had the honor to chair. I express my appreciation to each one of them who are: Professor J. D. Achenbach (Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA), Professor M. A. Hayes (University College, Dublin, Ireland), Professor K. J. Langenberg (University of Kassel, Germany), Professor A. K. Mal (University of California, Los Angeles, USA), Professor X. Markenscoff (University of California, San Diego, USA), Professor S. Nair (Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA), Professor R. W. Ogden (University of Glasgow, UK), Professor G.

Elastic Waves from Localized Sources in Composite Laminates.- The Method of Generalized Ray Applied to Plastic Sources.- On the Energy Release Rate from a Moving Dislocation and the Equation of Motion of a Dislocation.- Backscattering of Bulk Waves from A Surface-Breaking Crack under A Compressive Stress.- Asymptotic Formulas for the Stress Field of a Crack by Nonlocal Elasticity.- Elastodynamic Response of a Cracked Fiber-Reinforced Body to a Non-Uniform Transient Plane-Strain Loading.- Effect of an Imperfect Interface on Elastic P-Wave Scattering by a Spherical Inclusion.- Recent Advances of the Use Of Lamb Waves for Material Characterization.- On the Role of Material Constitutive Relations in Long Rod Penetration Mechanics.- Wave Propagation in Planarly-Stratified Multilayers.- Ultrasonic Lamb Waves in Layered Piezoelectric Plates.- Radiation Mode Model for Multilayered Structures.- Elastic Wave Scattering from A Perturbed Flat Interface.- The Effect of Stress on Interfacial Waves in Elastic Compressible Interlayers.