1989 ASC Fourth Technical Conference Recap – Virginia Tech

The Fourth Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites took place from October 2–5, 1989, at the Donaldson Brown Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI) in Blacksburg, Virginia. The event was chaired by Professor K.L. Reifsnider and co-sponsored by the Virginia Technical Center for Composite Materials and Structures, the Virginia Institute for Materials Systems, and the Allied-Signal Corporation.

The conference drew approximately 200 participants and featured over 100 technical papers from seven countries. The central theme was Composite Materials Systems, and the program spanned a wide array of topics including processing, fabrication, stress analysis, interfaces, failure mechanics, durability, impact, and structural design. Sessions on thermoplastic composites reflected growing interest, although there was notably limited representation of ceramic and metal matrix composites.

• Dr. H. W. Bergman – "New Materials and Structural Concepts for Space Transportation Systems" (DFVLR, West Germany)
• Professor R. J. Diefendort – "High Temperature Advanced Structural Composite Systems" (ONR/DARPA HITASC)
• Dr. Frank Crossman – "Computer Integrated Composites Engineering and Manufacturing" (Lockheed Missiles and Space)

Among the most engaging moments of the conference was the closing session on biomaterials. Unusually for the final session of a multi-day technical meeting, it drew strong attendance, highlighting growing fascination with both natural and engineered biomaterials.

The conference also marked a step toward international collaboration, with a Soviet delegation presenting several high-quality papers. At the conference dinner, Dr. N. J. Pagano of Wright-Patterson Air Force Laboratories was honored with the ASC prize for outstanding contributions to composite materials science.

Proceedings were published in a 994-page hardbound volume, edited by Professor J. Morton and produced by Technomic Publishing. Submitted as camera-ready copy and largely laser-printed, the result was a notably high-quality archival record. The plenary lectures were not included in the printed volume.

View List of Conference Papers

• Hosted at VPI, over 50% of the attendees were from the host institution.
• Less than 25% of participants represented industry or government institutions.
• The ASC's ties with the Soviet Union were formally acknowledged through research presentations and dialogue.

Conference Chair
Dr. Kenneth L. Reifsnider
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics

Award Recipient
Dr. N. J. Pagano
Wright-Patterson Air Force Laboratories
Honored for foundational work in micromechanics and longstanding contributions to the field of composites.

• Professor K. L. Reifsnider (General Chair)
• Professor J. Morton (Editor, Proceedings)
• Virginia Technical Center for Composite Materials and Structures
• Virginia Institute for Materials Systems
• Allied-Signal Corporation

1. Harris, B. (1990). AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR COMPOSITES FOURTH TECHNICAL CONFERENCE, BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA, 2–5 OCTOBER 1989. Composites Science and Technology, 38, 291–292.