Recent interest in nanotechnology is challenging the community to analyse, develop and design nanometer to micrometer-sized devices for applications in new generations of computer, electronics, photonics and drug delivery systems. To successfully design and fabricate novel nanomaterials and nanosystems, we must necessarily bridge the gap in our understanding of mechanical properties and processes at length scales ranging from 100 nanometers (where atomistic simulations are currently possible) to a micron (where continuum mechanics is experimentally validated). For this purpose the difficulties and complexity originate in the substantial differences in philosophy and viewpoints between conventional continuum mechanics and quantum theories. The challenge lies in how to establish the relationship between a continuum mechanical system and its atomistic counterpart in order to define continuum variables that are calculable within an atomic system.

The IUT AM Symposium on Microstructure Property Interactions in Composite Ma- rials was held during the dates 22nd to 25th August 1994 in Rebild Bakker Conference Centre, situated in the heart of one of Denmark's most beautiful natural areas. Participation in the Symposium was reserved for invited participants, suggested by members of the Scientific Committee. The cooperation with the Scientific Committee is highly appreciated. The Symposium brought together 76 researchers from 15 countries representing a broad range of backgrounds relevant to the topic of the meeting. The participants represented the disciplines of materials science and engineering, applied mechanics, applied mathematics and scientific computations. The Symposium comprehensively addressed the analytical, numerical and experimental methods that provide an estimation of the overall, effective properties from microstructural data. The 41 contributions emphasized the significance of the microstructure morphology in understanding the nature and origin of a multitude of properties such as viscoelasticity, plasticity, strength and fracture for a variety of polymer, metal and ceramic based composite materials. Specifically, the Symposium examined and reviewed the current state of the art of micromechanical modelling, experimental investigations and morphological qu- tification of composite materials' microstructure. The volume contains 35 papers published in an alphabetic order after the name of the first author. Much to regret of the Scientific Committee some manuscripts were not submitted. The financial support of the IUT AM, the Obels Family Foundation and the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aalborg University, is gratefully acknowledged.

Recent interest in nanotechnology is challenging the community to analyse, develop and design nanometer to micrometer-sized devices for applications in new generations of computer, electronics, photonics and drug delivery systems. To successfully design and fabricate novel nanomaterials and nanosystems, we must necessarily bridge the gap in our understanding of mechanical properties and processes at length scales ranging from 100 nanometers (where atomistic simulations are currently possible) to a micron (where continuum mechanics is experimentally validated). For this purpose the difficulties and complexity originate in the substantial differences in philosophy and viewpoints between conventional continuum mechanics and quantum theories. The challenge lies in how to establish the relationship between a continuum mechanical system and its atomistic counterpart in order to define continuum variables that are calculable within an atomic system.