1991 ASC Sixth Technical Conference Recap – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The Sixth Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites was held October 7–9, 1991, at the Desmond Americana Hotel in Albany, New York. The event was chaired by Professor Sanford S. Sternstein of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and organized with support from a diverse committee representing academia, industry, and government laboratories.

The 1991 program reflected a conscientious effort to achieve balance across the materials, mechanics, and processing aspects of composite materials, while also expanding topical coverage to include metal and ceramic matrix composite systems. Though much work remained to comprehensively represent the full spectrum of composite technologies, this year’s meeting marked a clear step forward.

A total of 110 papers were presented, with contributions from 76 academic institutions, 15 industrial labs, 13 government labs, and 6 international sources. Sessions were organized into key thematic areas: Structure–Property Relations, Laminates and Analysis, Ultimate Properties, Interfaces, Design and NDE, Processing, and Micromechanics. Additionally, three student sessions featured 21 papers. Best Student Paper prizes were awarded, continuing ASC’s commitment to fostering the next generation of composite researchers.

Despite ongoing economic uncertainty and delays in the projected growth of composite applications, the technical program demonstrated strong engagement from the academic community and students alike. As Professor Sternstein noted in his preface, “There are clearly many fundamental technical problems still to be addressed... The continued recognition and study of these issues by academia and students... should serve the composites field well in the future.”

View List of Conference Papers

• 110 papers presented, including 21 in dedicated student sessions.
• 82 full-length papers were published in the conference proceedings.
• Sessions covered processing, micromechanics, delamination, interfaces, design, and smart structures.
• The student paper award initiative was formally established to encourage young researchers.

Conference Chair
Professor Sanford S. Sternstein
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Department of Materials Engineering

• Professor Sanford S. Sternstein (General Chair)
• George J. Dvorak (RPI)
• William B. Hillig (RPI)
• A. Hugo Kruesi (U.S. Composites Corp.)
• Dimitris C. Lagoudas (RPI)
• Kevin P. McAlea (GE Corporate Research & Development)
• Andrew J. Salem (GE Corporate Research & Development)
• Barbara C. Woolsey (ASC)
• Linda L. Campbell (RPI)
• Sonja E. Swygert (RPI)

• Dick J. Wilkins, President
• James H. Starnes, Vice President
• Robert L. Sierakowski, Recording Secretary
• C. T. Sun, Membership Secretary
• Dina N. Kapur, Treasurer
• John W. Gillespie, Jr., Editor
• Lawrence T. Drzal, Executive Committee
• Carl Zweben, Executive Committee

1. Sternstein, S. S. (Ed.). (1991). Proceedings of the Sixth Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites. Albany, NY: American Society for Composites.