Ever wondered why your washing machine “walks” across the floor when it is running or why your car brakes squeal at times? Or why the railway carriage you are sitting in rattles back and forth or what phenomena drive different weather patterns? It is all down to nonlinear and chaotic dynamics. In an attempt to better understand these types of issues, the University of Aberdeen will be hosting a major international gathering of engineering experts who will be discussing such problems and how to prevent them and control them.
More than 70 renowned researchers from throughout the world in the areas of applied nonlinear dynamics, control and condition monitoring have accepted the invitation to participate and contribute to the EUROMECH Colloquium 425, hosted by the Department of Engineering at the University of Aberdeen from the the 20th to the 24th of August.
Vibration can have both good and bad effects. The content of the 4-day meeting will be wide- ranging but will include talks on how railway bogies vibrate and apply forces, which may damage rails. They will also look at how vibration causes cracks in components and on the monitoring of the condition of civil engineering structures using vibration in a positive way, as well as hold discussions on theories of how these phenomena can be predicted and possibly controlled.
The conference will be opened by Professor Celso Grebogi, Professor of Mathematics, a member of the Institutes for Plasma Research and of Physical Sciences and Technology, and a Distinguished Faculty Research Fellow at the University of Maryland. They have made enormous impact in the area of chaotic control.
The conference will also have a very special presentation by the man known as the father of chaotic dynamics in electrical circuits, Professor Yoshisuke Ueda of Kyoto University, Japan.
Professor Albert Rodger, Dean of Science and Engineering said he was delighted that Aberdeen is able to host this international event.
“I am delighted to welcome engineering specialists from throughout the world to what is hoped to be a fascinating four-day event. The main aim of the event will be to stimulate and promote development in strategic areas of theoretical and applied dynamics."
”The University of Aberdeen is well positioned to host such a meeting as it is very active in research in this area.”
The Colloquium topics include advanced methods of nonlinear dynamics; nonlinear control; structural dynamics; condition and health monitoring; dynamic signal processing and identification; fatigue and crack mechanics; smart structures; multibody dynamics; soil and rock mechanics and particle dynamics.
EUROMECH was founded in 1965, aimed at furthering developments and applications in Europe of the science of mechanics through the running of a number of colloquia – small, specialised meetings for about 50 people – each year in different European countries.
Such has been its success that some 350 such colloquia have been held over the past 30 years. The organising body has grown from an informal committee of 11 to a governing council, and it has an individual membership of almost 1,000. This year is the first time that it has been held at the University of Aberdeen.
The full programme listing is available on www.eng.abdn.ac.uk/~eng373/Euromech/index.htm
University Press Office on telephone +44 (0)1224-273778 or email a.ramsay@admin.abdn.ac.uk.