Welcome to the USACM Thematic Conference on Isogeometric Analysis and Meshfree Methods

The development of Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) and Meshfree Methods, both very important and highly visible areas of Computational Mechanics, was motivated by vastly different needs in engineering analysis. While IGA development was primarily driven by the need for tighter coupling between Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and FEM, Meshfree methods were developed for applications that involve phenomena such as fracture and material fragmentation. Nevertheless, both techniques have many common challenges, among which are analysis-suitable model generation, speed and efficiency of the computational procedures, and numerical quadrature. This USACM Thematic Conference will bring together experts in both areas to discuss recent progress in each field, and transfer knowledge and experience between the two communities.  The following Plenary Lectures will be presented at the conference:

  Opening Plenary Lecture
 "Isogeometric Analysis: Present, Past and Future"    

                  
 Thomas J.R. Hughes
 UT-Austin

  Plenary Lecture

  "Current Industrial Applications and Emergent Needs in Isogeometric  

   Analysis and Meshfree Methods"

   Isogeometric Analysis: David Benson, Livermore Software Tech. Corp.

  Meshfree Methods: C. T. Wu, Livermore Software Tech. Corp.

 Closing Plenary Lecture
 "Process-Based Multiscale Material Modeling to Additive Manufacturing"

 Wing-Kam Liu
 Northwestern University