This series of conferences started in Manchester UK in April 2008 with an attendance of 150 people and was followed by conferences in Greenville, South Carolina, USA in April 2009, and Wuhan, China in April 2011. We are pleased to announce that the Fourth conference will return to Europe on September 10-11, 2012. The hosts will be the ,Institut für Textiltechnik der RWTH Aachen’, which is a leader in textile enginneering education and research in Germany with a strong activity in 3D fabrics. The advances in the textile-technology for 3D fabrics are diverse. Solid 3D woven fabrics, which can be made on commercial machinery either as flat panels or 3D shapes, are of importance in composites. They give a potential for major reductions in aircraft weight and have significant applications in military hardware. The stimulus to development given by these uses opens up possibilities in automotive, construction, medical and many other fields. Hollow woven fabrics with multiple voids can be used in protective composites. Tubular forms can be multiply branched. For some forms, braiding is an alternative to weaving. Advances in knitting mean that whole garments can be produced, so that stitching together of separate pieces is eliminated; similar developments are taking place in weaving. This technology can be adapted to make complex 3D shapes for technical uses. 3D shells can be made by nonwoven technology.

The application of information technology through CAD-CAM is important for the growth of the technology through efficient manufacturing. The meeting of the engineering requirements for demanding end-uses needs reliable specifications for product performance. Predictive modelling of mechanical performance will be an important feature of the conference.

KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS

Professor John Hearle
Chairman, TexEng Softwsre Ltd
Emeritus Professor of Textile Technology, University of Manchester, UK
3D Fabrics: a Review of Technology and Applications

Professor Thomas Gries
RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Applications of 3D Fabrics for Mobility, Buildings, Health and Energy

Alan Prichard
Aerospace Consultant, 25 year Boeing alumni, USA
Quality in 3D Woven Carbon Fiber for Use in Commercial Aircraft

Professor Andrew Walker
Director, National Composites Certification and Evaluation Facility
University of Manchester, UK
Growth Opportunities for Composites in Aerospace

Professor Philippe Boisse
President, Board of Directors, INSA de Lyon, France
Mechanical Models for Large Deformation Analyses of 3D Interlock Composite Preforms

Conference Programme

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The following have been invited to serve.

Chair: Professor Philippe Boisse, INSA-Lyon, France
Professor Bijoy Behera, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
Professor Geert de Clercq, Hogeschool Gent - INWE/TECH - Vakgroep Textiel, Belgium
Professor Tilak Dias, Nottingham Trent University, UK
Dr Niall Finn, CSIRO, Geelong, Australia
Professor Jack Gillespie, Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware, USA
Professor Bhuvenesh Goswami, Clemson University, South Carolina, USA
Professor Thomas Gries, Institute for Textile Technology, RWTH Aachen, Germany
Professro Bohong Gu, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
Professor Paul Hogg, University of Manchester, UK
Dr Amir Islam, Bally Ribbon Mills, New Jersey, USA
Dr Nandan Khokar, Biteam AB, Gothenburg, Sweden
Professor Frank Ko, University of British Columbia, Canada
Professor Jialu Li, Tianjin Polytechnic University, China
Professor Stepan Lomov, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Dr Mansour Mohamed, change the affiliation from 3TEX to 3D Composites, Inc3TEX Inc, North Carolina, USA
Professor Behnam Pourdeyhemi, North Carolina State University, USA
Alan Prichard, Consultant, formerly Boeing Company, Seattle, USA
Professor Stephen Russelll, University of Leeds, UK
Professor Masayuki Takaters, Shinshu University, Japan
Professor Xiaoming Tao, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China
Professor Weilin Xu, Wuhan Textile University, China

ORGANISING AND PROGRAMME COMMITTEE

Chair: Dr Xiaogang Chen, TexEng Software Ltd and School of Materials, University of Manchester, UK
Dipl.-Ing.Yves-Simon Gloy, RWTH, Aachen, Germany
Dr Anoura Fernando. School of Materials, University of Manchester, UK
Dr Hugh Gong, School of Materials, University of Manchester, UK
Dr Prasad Potluri, School of Materials, University of Manchester, UK
Co-chairs of conference, ex-officio

SCOPE OF CONFERENCE

The organisers invite authors to submit a one-page abstract for each paper that they wish to be considered for inclusion in the oral and/or poster programme for the conference. The abstract should contain sufficient information for a valid decision to be made on the merits of the paper and its relevance to the aims of the conference.

Submission for oral presentation has closed.
Abstracts for posters can be considered up to August 31, 2012.

Registration is now open. Details of fees etc are on the registration form. All speakers will be expected to register as delegates for the conference and pay a conference fee. Travel and accommodation expenses are the responsibility of each delegate and no direct compensation is awarded for speakers at the conference. Your submission of an abstract testifies to your acceptance of these financial conditions.

We recommend to book a room via the Aachen Tourist Service where we have booked some contingents. You can find the list of hotels here:

http://www.aachen-congress.de/hotels/wc3d2012

For further details regarding hotel rooms please contact the aachen tourist service:

Aachen Tourist Service e.V. Postfach 10 22 51
52022 Aachen
E-mail: incoming@aachen-tourist.de
Internet: www.aachen-tourist.de