Foreword

As engineering continues to cross boundaries of known practices, materials and manufacturing techniques and into the frontiers of new materials, environments and applications, the opportunities for research in general will inevitably increase. The necessity understand the behaviour of these new materials and how to engineer ever increasingly sophisticated structures, requires that industry must be able to develop and apply analytical and experimental tools to evaluate their potential behaviour for damage or failure. Dynamic analysis performs an important role in this complex, but at the same time fascinating frontier between the world of the known and the unknown world of materials, and their hypothetic applications, that human curiosity and necessity is always exploring and discovering. In all this effort, research and communication of progress takes a fundamental role. 
The main objective of the DYMAT Conferences is to contribute in this effort giving an opportunity to researchers, engineers, academics and people from industry worldwide to improve their knowledge about the recent developments in the field of dynamic behaviour of materials and their new applications. During the twenty three years of its life, the DYMAT Association has developed efforts to promote these contacts through either the triennial International Conferences or the annual and thematic technical meetings. I am convinced that the number of communications and presences in all of these events is the best demonstration that the Association is of value, just because it was able to begin a series of actions with a prestige recognized by the international community. 
With the same spirit, the Governing Board of DYMAT is encouraging the appearance of sub-groups with the objective to stimulate discussion in some specific subjects covered by the objectives of the DYMAT Association in the field of mechanical behaviour of materials at high rates of strain. We believe that these sub-groups are able to increase the contacts between university and college researchers and people from industry in particular themes of joint interest. At the moment there are two sub-groups, the Light-Weight Armour Group (LWAG) and the Group of Transport Security (CRASH), developing their activities and organizing regular workshops. But DYMAT is keen on seeing others. 
I cannot finish this small text without thanking most sincerely the CEA (Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique) at Valduc, and their collaborators, for having accepted the task of organising the Conference. A particular and very special thank you to Richard Dormeval, not only for the excellent and arduous work that, as chairman of the Conference, developed during the long period of its preparation, but also for his continuous assistance as Vice-President of the DYMAT Association over the last three years. 
I would equally like to thank the friendly and engaged team of the Administrative Council of the Association for all their work in reading, selecting and re-reading manuscripts, thus assuring our Conference is of a high academic level. 
Together with my colleagues at the DYMAT Bureau, I hope that this Conference can contribute on the development of the knowledge in the field of the dynamic behaviour of materials. Especially I hope that the participants can profit from these days exchange their experiences and develop contacts and projects. 
Please, enjoy these days in Dijon.
Coimbra, the 11th of May 2006
José Cirne
President of Dymat Association