These Proceedings contain the papers presented at the 4th International Symposium on Impact Engineering, held in Kumamoto, Japan, on 16-18 July 2001. The primary objective of the international series of Impact Engineering is to provide a forum for the presentation of recent progress in Impact Engineering and its related fields, both in terms of fundamental research and industrial application including automotive and aerospace engineering. This volume includes more than 150 papers presented at the Symposium which covers the latest updated research results in various series such as "testing methods and behavior of materials at high strain rates", "dynamic deformation and fracture under impact" and "explosion, shock wave and their applications" and others. This volume will serve as memoirs to these efforts for the scientists and engineers who are working in the field of mechanics and materials and others.

Table of Contents:
Selected papers. Volume 1. Preface. Symposium organization. Some recent developments in the dynamic inelastic response of structures (N. Jones). The crushing strength of aluminium alloy foam at high rates of strain (S.R. Reid et al.). Experimental characterization of mixed mode fracture toughness of polymer matrix composite materials under impact loading (T. Kusaka et al.). Increasing the maximum strain measured with elastic and viscoelastic hopkins bars (R. Othman et al.). Dynamic buckling behavior of foam-filled metal tube (K. Mimura et al.). Sterilization of dry powder food by shocks (K. Fujiwara et al.). Non-ideal detonation properties of ammonium nitrate (A. Miyake). Study on the treatment of toxic wastes by chemical explosion (T. Matsunaga et al.). Synthesis behaviour and hot shock compaction of silicon carbide-cromium boride composites (R. Tomoshige et al.). Explosive welding of bulk metallic glass plate on crystalline titanium plate (Y. Kawamura, A. Chiba). Jet initiation of high explosive charges by lead covers in direct contact (M. Held). Computational analysis of oblique projectile impact on high strength fabric (V.B.C. Tan et al.). A visco-plastic anisotropic model for the impact deformation of crushable foam (V.P.W. Shim, L.M. Yang). Dynamic elasto visco-plastic crack propagation analysis using moving finite element method (T. Fujimoto, T. Nishioka). Compression flow stress of ultra low carbon mild steel at high strain rate (N. Kojima et al.). Spall damage growth under repeated plate impact tests (N. Nishimura et al.). Finite element stress response analysis of butt adhesive joints of hollow cylinder subjected to impact tensile loads (T. Sawa et al.). Volume II. Preface. Symposium organization. Future for explosive materials processing (E.P. Carton, M. Stuivinga). Numerical study on initiation of thin explosive (S. Kubota et al.). Science of explosive welding: state of art (A. Deribas). Temperature dependence of dynamic behavior of titanium by the high strain-rate compression test (Y. Hyunmo et al.). Impact of thin plates with losses of contact (V. Grolleau et al.). Interference effect of dynamic stress concentration between two parallel notches (I. Maekawa et al.). Analytical methods for multi-body impact with dissipative compliant contacts (W.J. Stronge). Test on negative pressure-wave generation in mercury target (H. Kogawa et al.). Dynamic Stress and deformation of multi-layered poroelastic shells of evolution saturated in viscous fluid (S. Takezono et al.). The influence of initial shape irregularity on crush strength of automobile reinforcing members (Y. Sawairi et al.). Impulse magnetic pressure seam welding of aluminum sheets (T. Aizawa et al.). Explosively produced spallation in metals and its loading effects (T. Hiroe et al.). Influence of geometrical initial imperfection on deformation of axially compressed square tube (M. Miyazaki, H. Negishi). Initiation and parameters of trinitrotoluol explosion at impact by fragment (G.V. Belov et al.). Numerical simulation on mach detonation formed by high explosives (Y. Nakamura et al.). Author index. Keyword index.