16th International Conference on Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements
2 - 4 July 2013A Coruña, Spain
Overview
The 16th International Conference on Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements (CMEM/13) took place in A Coruña, Spain, organised by the University of Naples Federico II, represented by Professor Giovanni Carlomagno; the University of A Coruña, represented by Professor Santiago Hernandez; and the Wessex Institute of Technology, represented by Professor Carlos A. Brebbia.
The Meeting has been reconvened every two years since it started in 1981 in Washington D.C., providing a forum to the international technical and scientific community, to discuss the interaction between experimental measurements and computational methods, with all associated topics. Foremost consideration and importance are devoted to this reciprocal and advantageous integration.
The continuous improvement in computer efficiency, coupled with their diminishing costs and the rapid development of numerical procedures have generated an ever-increasing expansion of computational simulations that permeate all fields of science and technology. As these procedures continue to grow in magnitude and complexity, it is essential to be certain of their reliability, ie to validate their results. This can be achieved by performing dedicated and accurate experiments, which have undergone a constant and enormous development. At the same time, current experimental techniques have become more complex and sophisticated so that they require the exploitation of computers, both for running experiments as well as acquiring and processing the resulting data.
Prof Carlos Brebbia opened the Conference, explaining the importance of the conference series for the objectives of the Institute, ie the transfer of knowledge at international level. The Conference has continued to evolve and improve since the first meeting in 1981.
Carlos explained that since then all papers have been included in the WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences and archived in the Institute’s eLibrary (http://library.witpress.com) where they are permanently available to the international scientific community. Papers have been referenced by Crossref and appear regularly in notable databases, including referencing and abstracting services.The other activities of the Institute, Carlos said, continue also to grow, particularly the Division carrying out industrial support. This development is based on the original boundary element codes started 25 or so years ago and now accepted by industry. Another expanding activity is the publication of scientific and technical books, including conferences, and the new journals started by WIT.
Carlos stated that WIT sees itself as a unique institution, able to collaborate with academia and industry, without competing with the former. This results in a large number of link agreements and joint activities with many institutions around the world, in terms of courses, conferences, joint research projects and others. He ended by hoping that the participants will continue to collaborate with WIT.
Professor Santiago Hernandez then welcomed the delegates to A Coruña, hoping that they would be able to see some of the places of interest in the town, and surrounding area. He also mentioned that the conference programme included a visit to the University, where they would see the facilities at his Laboratory.
Keynote Addresses
Professor Giovanni Carlomagno, the other Co-Chair of the Meeting, gave the opening address on “Jet impingement heat transfer research”, with a comparison between experiments and computations. The experimental techniques used were based on thomography and infrared thermography.
Other keynote addresses were:
“Integrated marine measurements in Civitavecchia, near Rome” by Giuseppe Zappala, Institute for Coastal Environment, National Research Council, Italy
“A methodology for identification of dynamic parameters in assembled aircraft structures” by Eduardo Menga, Airbus Operation SL, Spain
Conference Topics
The Conference programme included a number of excellent scientific papers which offered solutions to contemporary research problems on topics in the fields of science and technology. The contributions were grouped in the following sections:
- Computational and experimental methods
- Fluid flow
- Heat transfer
- Aquatic systems
- Materials characterisation
- Mechanical characterisation
- Measurement and simulation for engineering applications
- Structural and stress analysis
- Computer methods
Special Session
A Special Session was organised by Prof Hidetoshi Sakamoto of Kumamoto University, Japan, on the topic of Measurements and Simulation for Engineering Applications, consisting of four presentations, ie:
- “Visualisation of high-speed fracture phenomona”
- “Fatigue damage formation and microstructure of ultrafine grained copper under two-step loading”
- “Piezoelectric-fluid interaction finite element analysis of a valve-less piezoelectric pump”
- “Buckling criteria for vacuum bottle based on finite element analysis”
Excursion
A technical visit to the University of A Coruña was hosted by Santiago Hernandez, where the delegates were offered lunch before a presentation by the Structural Mechanics Group on research being carried out at the laboratory, which they then proceeded to visit. The visit included a guided tour of the aerodynamic wind tunnel. Santiago’s research group has been carrying out outstanding work on thermodynamics of bridges and aerospace vehicles. They have recently published an excellent book entitled “Bridge Aeroelasticity:Sensitivity Analysis and Optimal Design” J.A. Jurado, S. Hernandez, F. Nieto, A. Mosquera, University of A Coruña, Spain, ISBN: 978-1-84564-056-9, eISBN: 978-1-84564-334-8.Conference Dinners
The Scientific Committee of the Conference met over dinner in a well known restaurant to discuss how to improve the meeting in 2015. The feeling was that the conference was very successful but that it was important to keep alert to new research trends and the requirements of industry. Several possible venues were proposed for the next conference and they will be investigated by the WIT Conference Division.The Conference banquet took place in a well known restaurant from where the whole bay of A Coruña could be seen. The menu consisted of typical Galician dishes, including a selection of tapas, a seafood crepe and local beef, accompanied by the wines for which Galicia is renowned throughout the world. At the end of the dinner, the participants were entertained by a bagpipe ensemble. Bagpipe music is very much part of the local culture and is played at all important family and public events. Carlos thanked the delegates for coming to the Conference and in particular to Galicia which is from where part of his family came. He stressed the human dimensions of the Conference organised by WIT, which attracts delegates from all over the world. WIT Conferences, Carlos said, are living proof of how people from different backgrounds and cultures can get together to exchange scientific knowledge. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of organising international scientific gatherings.
Closing of the Conference
At the end of the Conference, Carlos thanked the delegates for coming to A Coruña, a unique location, rich in history and tradition. He hoped that they enjoyed the visit and were able to see some sights of interest, including the world famous Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, an important Christian pilgrimage site since Medieval times.
Conference Proceedings
The proceedings of CMEM 2013 - Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements XVI, 496pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-732-2; eISBN: 978-1-84564-733-9) are available from WIT Press. Orders can be placed on the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com or by email:
Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 55 of WIT Transactions on Modelling and Simulation (ISSN: 1746-4064, Digital ISSN 1743-355X). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com
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