The First HISTRATE Conference was held in Istanbul, Türkiye, on June 5-6, 2024, at the Altunizade Digital Campus of Sabancı University. The event featured insightful discussions, groundbreaking research presentations, and valuable networking opportunities, all complemented by a rich Turkish culinary experience.
A heartfelt thanks go to the local organizers, Dr. Hatice Sinem Şaş and her research team at Sabancı University, for their excellent organization and hospitality.
Organized within the framework of COST Action 21155, the HISTRATE conference was streamed live and attracted 64 participants from 18 countries across four continents. The event connected researchers investigating various aspects of new lightweight materials to meet high safety standards, much like Istanbul connects Asia and Europe.
Launched in 2022 under the EU’s Cost Action Programme, the HISTRATE project aims to remove certification barriers in the aerospace sector by paving the way for “certification-by-analysis for composite structures under high rate loading.” HISTRATE is on a mission to bring about a significant change by substituting traditional validation methods with simulation-driven techniques, thereby reducing the necessity for complex testing. The project thrives on the collective expertise of a varied group of academic and industry professionals, fostering a culture of shared learning. By combining understandings from different scales, from the elements of materials to composite parts, HISTRATE is poised to transform the design and certification of ultra-high-performance, safe, and novel advanced composites for real-world applications facing high strain rate loading.
The conference featured talks that provided insights into novel advanced composite materials for high-strain applications, new simulation methods and best practices under high strain rates, multi-modal sensing for impact detection and damage characterization, and advanced testing and instrumentation for composites under high strain rates. The discussions also included perspectives fof participants rom industry and certification bodies.
Notable invited speakers included Prof. Kara Peters of North Carolina State Univerity, Prof. André Haufe – Dynamore GmbH, an Ansys Company, and Dr. Christian Bräunig – SGS -TÜV Saar. Additionally, participants had ample opportunities for further networking while enjoying Turkish culinary delights and an evening boat tour on the Bosporus.