On behalf of the European Community on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences (ECCOMAS) we are pleased to welcome you to the Azores for the 7th ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Smart Structures and Materials (SMART2015), held at the University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada Campus, S. Miguel Island. Previous editions have been the very successful conferences in Poland (Jadwisin and Gdansk), Portugal (Lisboa and Porto), Germany (Saarbrücken) and Italy (Torino).
The aim of this ECCOMAS series of conferences has been to gather the smart technologies community, providing a forum for the discussion of the current state of the art in the field and generating inspiration for future ideas on a multidisciplinary level. Smart structures and materials encompass sensing, actuation and control capabilities to be combined from a systems approach, on a macro, meso or even micro scale, and have triggered a variety of new research areas with impacts in the wider field of engineering and science, and more specifically in fields ranging from materials technology to medicine. The disciplines involved in smart technologies makes this field one of the most interdisciplinary areas of engineering science and we hope that the different works presented at this conference provide an insight to the state of the art for smart technologies today and that the discussions might point directions for future research and collaboration among this community.
This Book of Abstracts collects the works presented at the conference, as well as the programme and other pertinent information. Altogether, more than 100 lectures are presented, including 8 plenary lectures and 4 keynote lectures, reflecting the current state of the art in research and advances in the field of smart structures and materials. The proceedings of SMART2015, which include the full papers, will be made available to all participants at the conference website http://www.dem.ist.utl.pt/smart2015/.
SMART2015 has been supported by IDMEC - Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, the Government of the Azores, the City Hall of Ponta Delgada and Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to the authors and participants for their contributions, to the mini-symposium organizers and to all members of the organizing and scientific committees involved in the preparation of this conference. Also a special note of appreciation to Ms. Paula Jorge for her valuable contribution in all aspects related to the secretariat and preparation of the conference. The organizing committee is also grateful to the University of the Azores for hosting the conference and for all the logistic support provided.
Welcome to the Azores, enjoy the conference and the breathtaking islands of the Azores!
