Third International Conference on

MATERIALS STRUCTURE & MICROMECHANICS OF FRACTURE

MSMF-3   
in Brno, Czech Republic
June 27 - 29, 2001

Institutes of Physical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology	COST - European Co-operation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research	ASM International - Czech Chapter, Czech Society for New Materials and Technologies

SCOPE

MSMF-3 will be focused on fundamental relations between structural and mechanical characteristics of materials. Papers dealing with structure and damage modelling based on atomistic and micromechanistic approaches are particularly welcome. Surface and interface properties of solids will be discussed within the framework of a new section.

COST

Special COST section devoted to the Action 517 "Cleaner Metals for Industrial Exploitation" will be organised during the Conference.

TOPICS

1. Atomistic models of structure and damage of crystals.
2. 3D models of materials structure and evolution of damage.
3. Deformation and fracture models based on the crystal defects behaviour.
4. Phenomenological numerical models of deformation and fracture.
5. Surface and interface properties of solids.
6. Advanced experimental techniques in materials science and engineering.
7. Experimental studies on the relation between structure and mechanical properties.

VENUE

MSMF-3 will take place at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technická 2, Brno-Žabovřesky, Czech Republic. Brno lies in the central part of Europe, in the Czech Republic; it is the second largest city in the coutry (nearly 400 000 inhabitants). It is the centre of the province of Moravia, one of the historic lands of the Czech Crown. Brno is situated in a picturesque countryside (190 - 425 m above sea level), surrounded on three sides by wooded hills and opening to the Southern Moravian lowlands. Geographically, Brno is part of the Danube Basin and has many historical ties to the Austrian capital Vienna, which lies a mere 110 km to the south. Brno enjoys a very pleasant, moderate climate, ideal for recreation and everyday living.

VISA

To our knowledge, visitors from Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, the Republic of Ireland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and UK need no visa for a maximum of 90 days in the Czech Republic. On the other hand, visas are necessary for participants from Algeria, China, Russia, Ukraine etc.

TRANSPORT

Road Network The city is located at the crossroads of freeways D1 and D2 that form a part of the trans-european highways west to east (France - Ukraine: E 50), and north - south (Scandinavia - the Balkans: E 65).

Railways The rail route from the Balkans to western Europe and Scandinavia passes through Brno. (Budapest - Prague - Berlin). Brno is also a stop on the Euro-City Express route (Prague - Vienna). Time tables are available on http://idos.datis.cdrail.cz/gb/conn.asp?tt=2

Bus connections Brno is connected with the majority of big towns in Europe. Many of the bus-lines go through Prague from where, between 5:00 am and 9:00 pm, the bus service is practically continuous. All connections can be found on http://idos.datis.cdrail.cz/gb/conn.asp?tt=1

Air connections Current flights connect Brno only with Prague. The airport (IATA Code: BRQ) is only 7.5 km from downtown. All information are available on the web page http://www.airport-brno.cz/index_e.htm The international airports in Prague and in Vienna serviced by international airlines are only about 2 hours car or bus ride away. All bus connections from Prague or Vienna are on http://idos.datis.cdrail.cz/gb/conn.asp?tt=1

LANGUAGE

English must be used for papers, posters and presentations at the Conference.

PROCEEDINGS

A printed Abstract Booklet and Conference Proceedings on CD-ROM of all the accepted contributions will be available at the beginning of the Conference. The expense associated with these publications will be covered by the participation fee.

PRESENTATION FORMAT

Oral presentations: 60 minutes for plenary key-note lectures. In all sessions, 30 minutes for key-note lectures and 15 minutes for all the other contributions are assigned, including discussion. Overhead projector, slide projector and data projector (for video and computer) will be available. Presentations prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint are applicable. Connection of private laptop computer is also possible. Requests for special facilities should be made to the MSMF-3 secretariat before 1st June.

Poster presentations: Posters 1.0 ´ 1.3 m (w ´ h) will be arranged right at the beginning of the conference. During the special time reserved for poster presentation the authors are asked to be present at their posters.

TIME SCHEDULE

The section devoted to COST Action 517 will be held on Thursday, May 28. Slight changes in the time schedule are not excluded.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

All participants and accompanying persons are invited to the following social activities:
OUTLOOK EXCURSION
Wednesday evening, June 27th,
17:00 - 18:00,
Top of the FME tower building,
WELCOME TOAST
Wednesday evening, June 27th,
18:00 - 19:00,
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
SPECIAL LADIES PROGRAM
Thursday, June 28th,
10:00 - 16:00,
Excursion to the Moravian Karst,
CONFERENCE DINNER
Thursday evening, June 28th,
19:00 - 23:00,
the Kníničky Dam Lake near Brno.

MSMF-3 INTERNET PAGE

Update information concerning the MSMF-3 Conference can be found at the following URL address: http://csnmt.fme.vutbr.cz/msmf. This web site will be updated regularly with more detailed information about all aspects of the conference.