PARTICLES 2009 will address both the fundamental basis and the applicability of state of the art particle-based computational methods that can be effectively used for solving a variety of problems in engineering and applied sciences.

Significant advances have been made in the discrete element method (DEM), the smooth particle hydrodynamic method (SPH), the particle finite element method (PFEM), the material point method, and atomistic and quantum mechanics- based methods, among others. The coupling of these methods with standard numerical procedures, such as the finite element method and also with meshless techniques offers new possibilities to solve complex problems in engineering and sciences with an accurate representation of the physical phenomena at nano, micro and macro scales. The applications of the particle-based methods addressed in the conference will cover geomechanical and mining problems, industrial forming processes, fluid-structure interaction problems accounting for free surface flow effects in civil and marine engineering (water streams acting on constructions, wave loads in harbours and marine structures, ship hydrodynamics, etc.), multi-fracturing processes in impact situations, nano-micro-macroscopic effects in material science and bio-medical engineering, molecular dynamics, quantum mechanics problems, melting of polymers in fire situations and many others.

PARTICLES 2009 also aims to be a forum for practitioners in the computational mechanics field to discuss recent advances and identify future research directions for particle-based methods.

Sessions related to specific topics of the conference will be introduced by a Keynote Lecture in the field. Keynote Lectures will be complemented by Invited Sessions organised by recognised experts in targeted research areas of particle-based techniques as well as by contributed papers received from the general Call for Papers.