The Fifth International Conference on the Fundamentals Fracture (ICFF) will be held at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, USA on August 17 through August 22, 1977 under the primary sponsorship of the National Institute for Mechanics and Materials of the University of California at San Diego (IMM). IMM is supported by the National Science Foundation. Support is also provided by NIST The general goals of the conference will be the same as its predecessors (the most recent conference was held at Urubandai, Japan): to provide a vehicle for the presentation and discussion of current research and future challenges in fracture science, and to provide an opportunity for its practitioners to renew acquaintances and develop new collaborations with others in the international community. Although the focus is on the fundamental aspects of fracture, the target group includes those working in the disciplines of Mechanics, Metallurgy, Ceramics, Polymer Science, Physics and Chemistry. Due to the current climate for support for international conferences of this type, attendees are asked to provide as much of their own financial support to attend the conference as possible, and to this end, the registration fee will be kept to a minimum. The Program and Planning Committee may be able to assist with overseas travel on the basis of applications made at the time of Abstract submission, and to a lesser extent with travel of US participants. Expected Topical Areas and Format Dislocation Formation at, and Shielding of Crack Tips Chemical Effects (both external agents and internal segregation) Crack Dynamics Statistical and Fractal Aspects of Fracture Interfacial Fracture (including composites) Fracture of Polymers Fatigue Although the emphasis will be on the scientific results and challenges, industrial perspectives will also be highlighted. The format of the conference will consist of a mixture of invited lectures, shorter contributed papers including poster papers, with both organized and informal discussion for each major topical area. The program will be constructed entirely on the basis of Abstracts received. Total attendance will be controlled to permit operating without simultaneous sessions. Extended abstracts for the entire program will be published in a booklet available at the time of the conference, but there will be no other conference publication. Registration will occur on August 17, 1997 at the Gaithersburg Hilton, and the main program will run four days from August 18 through August 21, 1997. Abstract Submission The program will be constructed on the basis of the Abstracts received. The deadline (firm) for receipt at NIST (to one of the Local Committee members) is DECEMBER 1, 1996. Authors may submit more than one Abstract. Because of the flexible poster format, more than one paper per author will be possible. Each Abstract should be only long enough to present the core ideas and results, but not more than 350 words. Photos or graphical material fitting on a single additional page are acceptable. Abstracts may be submitted either by ordinary mail, Fax, or email to one of the Local Committee members, listed below. Email submission is much preferred, with graphical material either in the form of gif, tiff, jpeg, or postscript files. For papers with multiple authors, please indicate who will present the work, and if additional individuals wish to attend the conference. If you need financial travel assistance, please describe your needs separately, and enclose it with your Abstract. Fellowships Support for a limited number of fellowships for student and post doctorals to attend the conference is anticipated. The juxtaposition of ICFF with the 1997 IMM Summer School, which will be held at NIST just prior to ICFF, will make possible a very intensive learning experience in the subject of fracture for both students and Post Doctorals. Each applicant should submit an abstract for a Poster Paper to be presented at the Conference, together with a supporting recommendation from the Thesis or research supervisor. Applications should be sent to the Local Committee listed below by December 1, 1996. Registration and Attendance The registration fee is $170 per attendee, and will include lunches, coffee breaks and a banquet on August 19. Although a limited number of attendees not authoring a poster or verbal paper may be permitted, in general, participants at the conference will be expected to present such a paper. The total attendance will be held to less than 150 in order to make possible an interactive atmosphere. The Gaithersburg Hilton will be the Conference Hotel. The Gaithersburg Econolodge, with cheaper accomodations will also be available. Registration materials will be sent after the program and attendance list are determined. Information and Queries For additional information and queries, please contact either of the following Local Committee members, whose addresses are given below. Program Committee Program Committee members and addresses are: Prof. David Clarke Materials Dept. College of Engineering University of California at Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA Prof. William W. Gerberich Department of Chemical Engineering University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA Prof. Edward Kramer Dept. Materials Science and Engineering Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 USA Prof. James L. Langer Dept. of Physics University of California at Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA Prof. James R. Rice 224 Pierce Hall Harvard University Cambridge, MA 02138 USA Dr. Robb M. Thomson, Chair Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory Room B307, Materials Bldg. National Institute for Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899 USA Telephone: 301 975 5665 Fax: 301 926 8349 email: robb@phlogiston.nist.gov Deadlines 12/1/96 Abstracts Due to Local Committee. (This is a firm deadline!) 2/1/97 Tentative Program. 4/1/97 Mailing of Final Program, Reservation Forms and Detailed Instructions. 6/15/97 Extended Abstracts Due to Local Committee. 7/21/97 Hotel Reservations and Conference Fee Due. 8/17/97 Arrival for Conference. Local Committee Members: Dr. Tim Foecke Metallurgy Division Room B254 Matls. Bldg. NIST Gaithersburg, MD 20899 USA Tel: 301 975 6592 Fax: 301 975 4553 Email: tfoecke@nist.gov Dr. Robb Thomson Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory Room B307 Matls. Bldg. NIST Gaithersburg, MD 20899 USA Tel: 301 975 5665 fax: 301 926 8349 Email: robb@phlogiston.nist.gov Steering Committee members and addresses are: Prof. H. Kimura 1833-12 Tokisawa Fujimi-mura, SeGunma 371-01 Japan Prof. C. W. Lung Academica Sinica Institute for Metals Reseearch 2-6 Wenhua Road Shenyang, China Prof. Peter Neumann MPI f. Eisenforschung GmbH Postfach 140 260 D-4000 Dusseldorf Germany Prof. Steven Roberts Deparment of Metallurgy Oxford University Oxford, UK Prof. Taira Suzuki Hisamoto 1-17-1-517 Takatsu-ku Kawasaki 213 Japan Dr. Robb Thomson Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory Room B307, Materials Bldg. National Institute for Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899 USA