1988 ASC Third Technical Conference Recap – Seattle, Washington

The Third Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites was held on September 26–29, 1988, in Seattle, Washington. The event was jointly organized by Professor James C. Seferis (University of Washington) and Dr. John T. Quinlivan (Boeing), and co-sponsored by the University of Washington’s Polymeric Composites Laboratory and The Boeing Company—exemplifying the conference theme of Integrated Composites Technology.

This theme reflected the belief that composite material performance cannot be fully understood through a one-sided perspective of a user or manufacturer. True innovation requires integration across disciplines and stakeholder groups. The event sought to foster that integration through a carefully structured technical program and strong university–industry collaboration.

The conference opened with a morning plenary symposium featuring invited speakers who addressed composites development from complementary vantage points:

• Prof. R. Byron Pipes (University of Delaware) emphasized integrating manufacturing science into academic research, citing technologies such as laser-assisted thermoplastic tape consolidation and filament winding with powdered matrices as critical but underexplored.
• Dr. John C. Halpin (USAF Materials Center) provided a historical review tracing composites from early applications to modern aerospace-grade systems.
• A.G. Miller (Boeing) discussed how composites can deliver performance improvements and weight savings for future aerospace platforms, including supersonic aircraft.

The technical program was organized into 14 symposia, covering a wide range of topics from biocomposites and interfacial mechanics to structural design and non-destructive evaluation. Each morning and afternoon featured three parallel sessions, with session chairs instructed to strictly adhere to scheduled times to allow participants to switch between sessions. The first morning featured a single invited symposium addressing the full spectrum of the conference theme.

Technical Highlights

• Nearly 100 papers were presented across parallel sessions, spanning conventional topics such as fatigue, fracture, NDE, and structural design, along with emerging areas including bioinspired composites.
• A scientific committee—comprising symposia chairs and invited speakers—conducted peer review. Only selected contributions appear in the proceedings, as some presenters either opted not to submit or missed the deadline.
• A.C. Rogers (VPI) introduced the integration of shape-memory alloys using Nitinol filaments to enable adaptive structural response.
• Studies from Case Western Reserve University and Goodrich Company addressed interfacial bonding challenges in ultra-high modulus polyethylene fiber systems.
• Advances in textile architectures included triaxial woven composites (J.W. Deaton, NASA Langley) and 3D reinforcement concepts (T.J. Whitney, University of Delaware).

Sessions on bioinspired materials drew significant interest, demonstrating how hierarchical designs in natural systems—such as keratin structures in horse hooves and the layered architecture of seashells—can inform synthetic composite design strategies.

Luncheon and banquet events were integrated into the scientific program, featuring invited talks placing composites in a broader national and international context. The evening keynote by Boeing Executive Vice President P.H. Condit offered a pragmatic perspective. While composites offer substantial performance advantages, he stressed that reductions in cost and further improvements in material properties remain essential for widespread adoption in aerospace applications.

Awards and Recognition

• ASC Outstanding Researcher Award: Dr. John C. Halpin (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base)

Notable Facts

• Approximately 200 participants attended, filling the venue despite overlap with two other major composites conferences held that same week.
• The conference received over 100 paper submissions, reflecting ASC’s rising reputation as a unified forum for composites research.
• The peer-review process marked a step toward higher selectivity and publication quality in ASC proceedings.
• The event reinforced ASC’s role in promoting interdisciplinary exchange across academia, government, and industry.
• The 1989 conference was announced to be hosted by Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
• The organizational format and scientific rigor of this conference were intended to serve as a model for future ASC meetings.

Conference Organizing Committee

• Professor James C. Seferis (University of Washington)
• Dr. John T. Quinlivan (Boeing)

ASC Officers (1988)

• President: James M. Whitney
• Vice President: Keith T. Kedward
• Recording Secretary: David Bonner
• Membership Secretary: C. T. Sun
• Treasurer: Dina N. Kapur
• Editor: Som R. Soni
• Executive Committee: Charles E. Browning, Norman J. Johnston

References

1. Bunsell, A.R. (1989). Third International Conference of the American Society for Composites, Seattle, WA, 26–29 September 1988. Composites, March 1989, p. 170.
2. Proceedings of the Third Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites, September 26–29, 1988, Seattle, WA.