Abstract Submission Deadline:

27 Mar 2009

Notification of Acceptance:

03 Apr 2009

Early Bird Registration:

17 Apr 2009

Accommodation Reservation:

20 Apr 2009

Short Courses:

21 June, 2009

ACE-X 2009:

22-23 June, 2009

Professor Rudrapatna V. Ramnath,
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT-USA

Honorary ACE-X Chairman

Abstract
This talk presents an overview of the physics and engineering concepts and methods in the technology and performance analysis of sports equipment. In particular, tennis  and other racket sports  are considered, along with the game of golf.  Notions of attributes such as power, control, stability, maneuverability and comfort are discussed, along with the parameters contributing to each characteristic.  Measurement of the relevant parameters is then described and discussed including the development of test procedure and set-up.  Specifically, data analysis is presented illustrating the performance indicators such as what constitutes a sweetspot, power zone, etc., in the context of tennis and golf. The presentation draws heavily from the author’s work over several years at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, carried out for the men’s professional tennis association (ATP Tour) and the magazines World Tennis and Tennis. The talk also includes a discussion of electronic line calling systems in tennis.

Abstract
Adhesives have been in use for thousands of years, although there is, of course, no definite date we can establish since archaeologists are regularly making discoveries of the use of adhesives. Adhesives were probably first regarded as a nuisance before man used his natural inventiveness to turn the problem to his advantage. Tools and weapons for hunting and fighting were the main needs of early man. Later, adhesives were used for decorative purposes in jewellery and veneers, furniture, and construction.  

During the last millennium, many inventions were made of techniques for preparing adhesives from natural products such as animal skins and bones, fish, and milk products [casein]. From the beginning of the 18th Century, industrial production increased until, by the end of the 19th Century, there were many glue factories in existence.

The 20th Century saw the invention of “plastics”, culminating in the modern, “man-made” adhesives such as epoxides, polyurethanes, polyesters, cyanoacrylates and the many variations on these themes. Most of the aeroplanes in the 1914-18 war were made of wood, using furniture adhesives for laminating the curved spars and the propellers. By the 1939-45 war, chemists were producing all sorts of interesting materials, but many of the aircraft were made from aluminium and joined by screws and rivetts. However, the shortage of aluminium led to a rethink on wooden aircraft, and in 1941 the de Havilland Mosquito was produced. This aircraft used casein and urea-formaldehyde adhesives.Modern aircraft make extensive use of structural adhesives, both with metallic and composite components. Today, most cars, buses, and trains use structral or semi-structural adhesives and to be without their use in the home and general day-to-day life is unthinkable. The future will be dependent on adhesives in various forms, particularly as we make efficient structures and components by joining dissimilar materials.

Abstract
This lecture presents an overview of two important research topics in the field of computational mechanics: computational methodologies for numerical simulations of complex shell structures and biological cells. The development of accurate shell finite elements has been one of the most important research activities for the last several decades. It is important to develop appropriate mathematical models together with efficient finite element formulations that can accurately represent the kinematics of deformation and stress fields in shell structures. A shell finite element based on a consistent shell theory for geometrically nonlinear analysis will be presented and its robustness will be illustrated through several benchmark problems.  

Biological materials are complex hierarchical systems subjected to external stimuli in the form of mechanical forces, chemical potentials, and electrical signals. A deeper understanding of the behavior of biological systems is critically important for situations like diagnosis and treatment of serious diseases. Understanding the behavior of biomaterials requires extensive experimental studies; however, mathematical models and computational methodologies can provide an alternative to understanding these complex processes. The lecture will discuss computational framework, including multiscale, multiphysics models capturing processes at a sub-cellular scale, the microscopic scale, and also at the macroscopic scales. These computational tools are offer immense help in understanding and solving some of the significant medical problems facing biomedical research.