The International Conference of Heterogeneous Materials Mechanics
(ICHMM) in Huangshan, China, June 3-8,2008 follows the successful
inaugural ICHMM held in ChongQing, China in June, 2004. The ICHMM
series is the first international forum that focuses exclusively
on various issues related to the behavior of heterogeneous materials
in a broad sense. The objective of the ICHMM is to present and
publicize integrated scientific and engineering approaches to
the measurement and modeling of phenomena at the interface of
materials science,physics, chemistry, biology, and solid mechanics.
ICHMM 2008 features a novel format of keynote and invited lectures,
with contributed posters, which is intended to quickly disseminate
important recent research ideas and to foster vigorous discussion.
In addition, the meeting is set in the beautiful Yellow Mountains,
where an
enjoyment of nature can be combined with an appreciation of emerging
research topics identified by targeted panel discussions.
For this conference over 500 abstracts were submitted by a broad
range of international scholars in the fields of mechanics, mathematics,
materials science, solid state physics, and chemistry. This more
than doubled the intellectual contributions made to ICHMM 2004.
The outpouring of new work presented challenges to the organization
of the conference, as well as opportunities to expand the scientific
value of the meeting. Modeling topics covered in ICHMM 2008 include:
nanomechanics, micromechanics, scale effects, multiscale modeling,multi-physics
modeling, materials design, stochastic models, inelastic behavior,
damage and failure, diffusion,and bio-inspired design. Broad classes
of materials are considered, including structural materials, functional
materials, biomaterials, smart materials, composites, cellular
materials, geological materials, materials for infrastructure,
and more. New experimental techniques for higher resolution and
fidelity measurements to better understand phenomena in heterogeneous
materials are also a major topic, including in situ and nondestructive
methods.
ICHMM 2008 is being held at the Huangshan International Hotel
(first phase: June 3-6) and the North Sea Hotel (second phase:
June 7-8), both located in Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China.
In Chinese, Huangshan means "Yellow Mountain." Huangshan
City is located in southeastern China, in the southern region
of Anhui Province,with Zhejiang Province to its east and Jianxi
Province to its south. With a population of 1,400,000 and an area
of 9807 square kilometers (3786 square miles), Huangshan City
is about 15 times the size of Singapore, and is one of the large
cities of Anhui province. Yellow Mountain (Mt. Huangshan) is famous
for its rocks, gnarled pine trees, sea of clouds and hot springs.
It was formed by crustal uplift over a hundred million years ago,
and subsequently underwent glacial erosion, which created the
mountain's magnificent appearance. A distinctive part of China’s
nature destinations and heritage, Huangshan City offers unique
opportunities to add a cultural component to the scientific interactions
at ICHMM 2008.
We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to NSF of China and the
K.C. Wong Education Foundation Hong Kong,for their financial support.
Thanks are also extended to Professors Qingchuan Zhang, Daining
Fang, Haibo Chen and Songlin Xu for their considerable efforts
to making ICHMM 2008 a success.
