Materials Characterisation 2015
7th International Conference on Computational Methods and Experiments in Materials Characterisation
22 - 24 April 2015
Valéncia, Spain
Overview
The 7th International Conference on Computational Methods and Experiments in Material Characterisation took place in Valencia, Spain, organised by the Wessex Institute.
The meeting follows the success of the six previous conferences in the series, which started in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2003; followed by a conference in Portland, Maine (2005); a further one in Bologna (2007); the New Forest, home of the Wessex Institute (2009); Kos, Greece (2011); and La Certosa di Pontignano of the University of Siena (2013).
The conference was sponsored by the International Journal of Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements, which aims to provide a forum for the scientific community to promote the interaction between complementary aspects of computational methods and experiments, and to discuss the importance of their harmonious development and integration.
The contributions presented at the conference represented some of the latest developments in the field of Material Characterisation describing the physical and chemical properties of materials and the experimental and computational methods applied. They cover a wide range of topics, including the interaction between the different disciplines, which is required to achieve a better understanding of materials behaviour.
Opening of the Conference
The meeting was opened by Prof Carlos A Brebbia, Director of Wessex Institute and Chair of this conference. He stressed the commitment of his Institute to technology transfer that is achieved in different ways. One is the organisation of an international programme of conferences, such as Material Characterisation, held in many different countries around the world. They bring together a wide variety of scientists and engineers in a friendly environment, in an attempt to maximise the interchange of information and the development of further contacts.
Another important way in which dissemination of knowledge is achieved by WIT is through the publication of all conference proceedings and other advanced books. More recently, the Institute publishers – WIT Press – have initiated a series of International Journals, the most appropriate for this conference being the one on Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements. A further journal on Energy Production and Management will shortly appear and some of the participants may be interested in submitting their work there.
Carlos also mentioned that the research at WIT gave rise to a set of computer programmes which are now used in engineering practice mainly in the field of naval, offshore and aerospace engineering. These programmes are continually being developed with new capabilities in response to industrial needs. This resulted in WIT acquiring important contacts in engineering practice, which are a source of new directors of research.
Finally, Carlos commented on the many links that WIT has with research and university groups all around the world and in particular the interchanges with experimentalists. This helps to validate the computational results. WIT is always happy to discuss ways of collaborating with other researchers around the world and Carlos ended by inviting the delegates to visit its New Forest campus next time they are in the region.
Invited Presentations
The Conference was opened with a keynote address by Prof Derek Northwood of University of Windsor in Canada, on the topic of “Simultaneous effect of surface roughness and passivity on corrosion resistance of metals”.
Another keynote address was given by Prof Kazuto Tanaka from Doshisha University in Japan on the topic “Press and injection hybrid molding of glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics”.
A special session of Semiconductor Materials Characterisation was organised by Prof Toomas Rang from Tallinn Technical University in Estonia. The session consisted of four presentations on the following topics:
“Characterization of deep level traps in semiconductor structures using numerical experiments”
“Modelling and experimental characterisation of self-regulating resistive heating elements for disposable medical diagnostics devices”.
“Polytypic heterojunctions for wide bandgap semiconductor materials”.
“Analysis of deep level spectrum in GaAs structures”.
Conference Topics
A substantial number of presentations were classified under the following topics:
- Corrosion problems
- Experimental and measurement tests
- Mechanical characterisation and testing
- Micro and Macro materials characterisation
- Advances in composites
- Computational models and experiments
- Cementitious materials
Conference Dinner
The International Scientific Advisory Committee met over dinner to discuss the conference and arrange for its reconvening in 2017. Several new topics were proposed and new ISAC members recommended. Possible locations and venues were put forward, which will be investigated by the Conference Division of Wessex Institute.
The conference banquet took place in the unusual setting of the restaurant located under the city Aquarium, where the walls were tanks displaying shoals of fish. The excellent dinner, consisting of different courses with good local wines, helped to create a convivial atmosphere for the participants. The short walk from the conference location to the restaurant allowed them to appreciate some of the works of Calatrava, including his Palace of Arts, the Museum of Sciences and the Agora, as seen from the bridge built by Calatrava over the old bed of the Turia River. The Aquarium building in the Oceanographic Centre, as well as its companion structure where the restaurant was located, is the work of the renowned Mexican engineer, Felix Candela, and consists of two very attractive hyperbolic paraboloids. The banquet was most successful.
Closing of the Conference
The conference was closed by Carlos who referred to the importance of the meeting and hoped that the delegates will continue to collaborate with WIT, supporting some of its activities, in addition to the series of meetings. He reiterated his invitation to visit the WIT Campus in the New Forest next time they are in the region. This will give them a better idea of the type of work carried out by WIT and open avenues for joint programme collaboration.
Conference Proceedings
The proceedings of Materials Characterisation 2015 – Materials Characterisation VII, 412pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-948-7; eISBN: 978-1-84564-949-4) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.
Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 90 of WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences (ISSN: 1746-4471, Digital ISSN 1743-3533). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://witpress.com/elibrary
Related conferences
- SUSI 2016, Crete, Greece, 24 - 26 May, 2016
- Heat Transfer 2016, Ancona, Italy, 7 - 9 September 2016
- HPSM/OPTI 2016, Siena, Italy, 19 - 21 September 2016
Wessex Institute