INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP: MICRSOSTRUCTURE AND MICROMECHANICS OF STONE BASED INFRASTRUCTURE MATERIALS

国际研讨会：石基基础设施的微观结构和微观力学材料在人类社会的演变中，包括矿物水泥混凝土和沥青混凝土在内的石基基础设施材料发挥了重要作用。石基基础设施材料相对便宜，但它们的大量使用对任何国家的经济和环境都构成了巨大的影响：即使节省一分钱，每年也相当于节省数十亿美元。石基材料的材料结构相似，由石材骨架、粘结剂、填料和气孔组成。由于结合介质的不同，沥青混凝土和矿物水泥混凝土具有明显不同的性能；然而，由于常见的石材骨架结构，这些材料在另一方面表现出相似的行为。然而，这些材料历来是由不同的小组分别研究的。在过去的几年里，X射线计算机层析成像、离散和连续建模技术、有限元和离散元方法以及高性能计算等实验表征技术使得石材材料的行为得到了计算模拟而不是实验表征。这节省了大量的设备、材料和人力成本。有了这些进展，石材材料的研究可以统一在实验、建模和计算模拟三个方面。该研讨会的目标是：在不同专业领域的科学家和工程师之间建立沟通渠道，以便分享石材基础设施材料的微观结构表征、微观力学建模、计算模拟和可视化方面的最新发展。在国家和国际两级协调研究工作和有效利用包括硬件和软件在内的资源。预计将通过这次讲习班发起关于这一领域的综合研究和教育的国际社会。鼓励大学、行业和政府机构之间的新的合作研究努力，以确定和消除这一方向研究中的共同技术障碍。在国家和国际层面推动材料行为的大规模模拟和实验研究。为讲习班确定的主题包括但不限于a)微结构表征技术；b)离散和连续建模技术；c)计算模拟和可视化；d)两种材料建模和表征方面的异同；e)国家和国际合作的研究方向。为期两天的研讨会将在弗吉尼亚理工大学举行，将包括五个主题演讲，涉及两个材料的研究现状，参与者的陈述，以及关于研究方向和合作的讨论。预计将有25名来自美国的参与者和大约20名来自其他国家的参与者参加这次研讨会。在选择美国参赛者时，来自代表性不足群体的参赛者将得到充分考虑。学术影响包括建立一个合理的基础，建立在每个单独研究领域发展的集体专业知识基础上，用于表征石基基础设施材料的结构和力学；最终使高性能材料的设计成为可能。更广泛的影响包括改善下一代研究人员和从业人员的教育基础，这反过来将促进改进设计、施工和维护，并伴随着成本节约。

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP: MICRSOSTRUCTURE AND MICROMECHANICS OF STONE BASED INFRASTRUCTURE MATERIALSIn the evolution of human society stone-based infrastructure materials including mineral cement concrete and asphalt concrete have played an important role. Stone-based infrastructure materials are relatively inexpensive, however, their large quantity in use constitutes a great impact on the economy and environment of any nation: saving even a cent out of a dollar amounts to saving billions of dollars every year. Stone-based materials are similar in their materials structure, which consists of a stone skeleton, a binding medium, fillers and air voids. Due to different binding media, asphalt concrete, and mineral cement concrete have significantly different properties; however, due to the common stone skeleton structure, these materials demonstrate similar behavior on the other hand. Nevertheless, these materials have historically been studied separately by different groups. In the last few years, experimental characterization techniques such as X-ray Computed Tomography, discrete and continuum modeling techniques, Finite Element Method and Discrete Element Method, and high performance computation have allowed the behavior of stone-based materials be computationally simulated rather than experimentally characterized. This has lead to saving tremendous costs for equipment, materials and manpower. With these advances, research in stone-based materials can be unified in experimentation, modeling and computational simulation. The objectives of this workshop are: To establish channels of communication among scientists and engineers in different areas of specialization in order to share the most recent developments in microstructure characterization, micromechanics modeling, and computational simulation and visualization of stone-based infrastructure materials. To coordinate research efforts and efficient utilization of resources including hardware and software at the national and international level. It is anticipated that an international community on integrated research and education in this field will be initiated through this workshop. To encourage new cooperative research efforts among universities, industries and governmental agencies for identifying and removing common technical barriers in research along this orientation. To promote research on large-scale simulation of material behavior and experimentation at the national and international level. To prompt new national and international collaboration in education related to these areas.Theme topics identified for the workshop include but are not limited to a) microstructure characterization techniques; b)discrete and continuum modeling techniques; c) computational simulation and visualization; d) similarities and dissimilarities in modeling and characterization of the two materials; e) research orientations for both national and international collaborations. The two-day workshop to be held at Virginia Tech will consist of five keynote speeches on the state of the art of research across the two materials, presentations by participants, and discussions on research orientation and collaborations. It is anticipated that twenty-five participants from the US and about twenty from other nations will attend this workshop. In selecting the US participants, participants from underrepresented groups will be given thorough consideration. The intellectual impacts include establishing a rational foundation, built upon the collective expertise developed within each of the individual research domains, for the characterization of the structure and mechanics of stone-based infrastructure materials; ultimately enabling the design of high performance materials. The broader impacts include an improved basis for education of the next generation of researchers and practitioners, which in turn will prompt improved design, construction, and maintenance with concomitant cost-savings.