Symposium Co-Chairmen:

B.Barr (UK), A.Bentur (Israel), J.L.Chermant (France), J.W.Dougill (UK),
Z.Guofan (China), K.Kromp (Austria), J.Kasperkiewicz (Poland), S.Mindess (Canada), Z.Mróz (Poland), Y.Ohama (Japan), H.W.Reinhardt (Germany) S.P.Shah (USA), H.Stang (Denmark), P.Stroeven (The Netherlands), A.Vautrin (France)

The Symposium will follow the format of highly successful previous events: BMC 1 in 1985, BMC 2 in 1988, BMC 3 in 1991, BMC 4 in 1994, and BMC 5 in 1997. The programme will comprise invited keynote papers and contributed oral presentations.

Papers must be original, previously unpublished and should advance knowledge and/or technology. Abstracts and final papers will be reviewed before publication in the Symposium Proceedings. Papers will be presented and discussed in English.

The Symposium is co-sponsored by the RILEM.

Name: [ ]Mr. [ ]Ms. [ ]Prof. [ ]Dr ..................................................................

Company/Organization :.......................................................................................

Address :..............................................................................................................

telephone :................................. fax :..................................................................

e-mail :.................................................................................................................

Area of main interest :.........................................................................................

I intend to participate [ ] and to present a paper [ ]

I will be accompanied by [ ] persons

I am interested in taking a stand at the Exhibition [ ]

Please print out, fill and return this form to Prof. A.M.Brandt, IFTR, (IPPT PAN),
21, Swietokrzyska Str., 00-049 Warsaw, Poland, by mail or by fax: (+48 22) 8269815

The series of BMC Symposia was initiated by the highly successful EUROMECH 204 Colloquium on Brittle Matrix Composites held in Jablonna, in November 1985, renamed BMC 1. Three years later the Second Symposium BMC 2 in Cedzyna in September 1988 was organized, followed by the Third International Symposium on Brittle Matrix Composites BMC 3 in Warsaw, in September 1991. The Proceedings were published and sold by the Elsevier Applied Science, London and New York. In 1994 and in 1997 Symposia were organized also in Warsaw and the proceedings were published jointly by a Polish and an English publisher.

The local organizing Committee and the Co-Chairmen were assisted for each Symposium by International Advisory Panels, composed of outstanding specialists in the fields covered by the Symposia.

The success of the Symposia was closely related to the international co-operation and participation of outstanding personalities from different countries. The Proceedings were published and distributed all over the world.

The subject of the Symposia is composite materials with matrices behaving as brittle in normal or special conditions. Brittle matrix composites are applied in various domains (civil engineering, mechanical equipment and machinery, vehicles, etc.), and in the last decades their importance is increasing together with their variety. Examples of the materials that are covered in the accepted papers include:

- aggregate-binder composites (concretes, fibre concretes, rocks),

- sintered materials (ceramics),

- high strength composites with brittle matrices.

In principle, the general problems of structures made of composite materials are not included in the papers. Various approaches to the material engineering problems are presented in the papers. Among others:

- design and optimization of the structure of materials,

- theoretical considerations and computational methods,

- models of materials and prediction of material properties,

- tests methods and new tests results,

- manufacturing processes,

- applications of new materials and their behaviour in service,

- durability assessments and environmental effects.

The BMC Symposia provide an opportunity to bring together scientist and engineers interested and actively working in the title subject. The Organizers' ambition is to create favourable conditions for participants from different countries, to meet and exchange information, to present papers and follow discussions, and - last but not least - to activate good personal contacts between the participants from various parts of the world during the days of Symposium, in informal and friendly atmosphere.

A number of participants who attended the first Symposia BMC 1 and BMC 2 returned for the next events. It may be expected that BMC 6 in 2000 will profit from the good tradition.

At the Symposia many countries and regions of the world are represented. It is the tradition in Poland that in various fields the specialists from different countries meet to present their results and opinions, to discuss and to exchange view points. The series of BMC Symposia plays that role in the field of brittle matrix composites, and every time, friendly atmosphere of high level research and technical discussions was created by the participants.

Only unpublished papers and reports are presented orally or on posters. Original results of research, reports from the new applications and valuable review papers are selected.

All papers are accepted on the basis of the abstracts reviewed by the Members of the International Advisory Panel in conjunction with the Symposium Organizing Committee. For BMC 6 reviewing of the final drafts of the papers is prepared.

Papers are presented, discussed and published exclusively in English.

Full texts of the papers are published as the Symposium Proceedings in hard cover. All participants obtain their copies of the Proceedings free of charge and can also purchase additional copies at a special discount price directly at the Registration. The Proceedings are later distributed on normal commercial basis.

The Symposia BMC 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were organized in Jablonna near Warsaw, in Cedzyna near Kielce and in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Also BMC 6 is planned in Warsaw.

It has been the intention of the organizers to assure the best possible conditions for the participants to work during the technical sessions, to relax during free time and to visit the country in post-conference optional tours. Accommodation has been provided in hotels, situated closely to the conference halls and social meetings for participants and accompanying persons were organized.

All good experiences will be exploited to assure a successful meeting, and a significant increase of number of participants with respect to BMC 5 is foreseen.

Since the beginning the Symposia are sponsored by the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research. The fees were maintained at a relatively low level in view of limited possibilities of young researchers and for participants from countries with financial difficulties. In each of previous Symposia the Organizing Committee and the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research covered partly fees for a few participants. This is also planned for BMC 6.

Authors and participants are kindly requested to comply with the following timetable in order to facilitate the preparation of the Symposium Proceedings and the organization of the Symposium. Proceedings will be published and will be distributed at the Registration on the 9th and 11th October 2000.

Last days registrations will be accepted in the limits of available places.

The partners' programme and a series of common social events are prepared. The Symposium fees cover the participation at all sessions and events, three lunches, two dinners and the Symposium banquet, informal reception on October 12 evening, and one copy of the Proceedings.

The participants are expected to organize their travel to Warsaw by themselves and to arrive on Sunday, 8 October, or earlier. After the Symposium, optional excursions are proposed since Thursday, 12 October 2000. The Registration Forms and Hotel Booking Forms will be available at later time.

An exhibition will be held during the three days of the Symposium. Certain number of booths will be prepared for companies and organizations displaying equipment, materials, books, etc., closely paralleling the nature of the BMC 6

The exhibition will be convenient to the technical session rooms, and the programme will be arranged to allow participants ample time to visit the exhibition.

Companies interested in exhibiting should contact Dr. M.A. GLINICKI at the address of the Secretariat in Warsaw. Early application is advised.

Papers are requested on all aspects of brittle matrix composites. Papers submitted in English must be original, previously unpublished and should advance knowledge and/or technology of the subject. Papers will be presented and discussed only in English.

Abstracts and final papers will be reviewed by the Symposium Organizing Committee in conjunction with its International Advisory Panel, composed of world known specialists in the concerned fields.

Participants without papers are also warmly invited.

Proceedings of the previous events have been published as hardcover volumes:

Proc. of the European Mechanics Colloquium 204: "Structures and Crack Propagation in Brittle Matrix Composite Materials" - Jablonna, Poland, 12-15 September 1985, 590 pages

General Problems and Methods, Cracking in Ceramics, Fracture in Polymer Composites, Cracking in Cement Based Composites, Fracture of Fibre Reinforced Cements, Fracture Mechanics of Concrete.

Available by E&FN SPON London.

Proc. of the Second International Symposium on Brittle Matrix Composites - Cedzyna, Poland, 20-22 September 1988, 674 pages.

Mechanics of Cements Based Composites, Ceramics, Fibrous Composites, Polymer Composites, Material Design and Optimization, Test Methods, etc.

Available by E&FN SPON London.

Proc. of the Third International Symposium on Brittle Matrix Composites - Warsaw, Poland, 17-19 September 1991, 606 pages.

Destruction Effects in Cement Composites, Fracture Energy, Time Effects, Fibre-Matrix Bond, AE Investigations, Durability, Strength and Toughness of Ceramics, Advanced Composites, etc.

Available by E&FN SPON London.

Proc. of the Fourth International Symposium on Brittle Matrix Composites - Warsaw, Poland, 13-15 September 1994, 702 pages.

Innovations in Processing and Applications of FRC, Properties of Fibre Reinforced Materials, Properties of Concretes and Ceramics, Testing of Composite Materials, etc.

Available by Woodhead Publ. Ltd, Cambridge, UK, and Org. Com. in Warsaw.

Proc. of the Fifth International Symposium on Brittle Matrix Composites - Warsaw, Poland, 13-15 October 1997, 618 pages.

Modelling of Brittle Matrix Composites, Interfacial Transition Zone and Interface Bond, Influence of the Matrix on Properties of FRC, FRC - Properties and Design, Fracture and Fractography of Concrete, Microstructure of Concretes, Composites with Various Matrices. Ceramic Composites – Theory and Experiments, Long-term Effects in Ceramic Composites, Modelling of Ceramic Composites, Application of BMC in Structures, etc.

Available by Woodhead Publ. Ltd, Cambridge, UK, and at Org. Com. in Warsaw.