Preface
It is our pleasure to welcome you to the 17th International Symposium on Tubular Structures (ISTS17), which is held at the National University of Singapore from 09 to 12 December 2019. The International Symposium on Tubular Structures (ISTS) is considered the principal showcase for tubular structures and the prime international forum for discussion of research, developments and applications in this field.
The ISTS was established by the International Institute of Welding (IIW) Boston, USA in 1984 to promote scientific development and advanced applications of steel tubular structures. The symposium has since been held in Tokyo, Japan (1987), Lappeenranta, Finland (1989), Delft, The Netherlands (1991), Nottingham, United Kingdom (1993), Melbourne, Australia (1994), Miskolc, Hungary (1996), Singapore (2001), Düsseldorf, Germany (2001), Madrid, Spain (2003), Québec, Canada (2006), Shanghai, China (2008), Hong Kong, China (2010), London, United Kingdom (2012), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2015) and Melbourne, Australia (2017).
The Kurabane lecture, which was inaugurated in ISTS since 1998 in memory of a leading and pioneering researcher in the field of tubular structures, Professor Yoshiaki Kurobane, will be delivered by Professor Mick Eekhout from the Delft University of Technology in this edition of ISTS. There will be four plenary talks by distinguished scholars covering various aspects of tubular structures in ISTS17. The technical program consists of a total of 78 papers to be presented by authors from 22 countries and districts.
The ISTS17 is jointly organized by Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore and the International Institute of Welding Subcommission XV-E. This symposium could not have been organized so successfully without the generous financial support from our Sponsors, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Pte Ltd and Vallourec Asia Pacific Corp Pte Ltd.
The organizing committee is indebted to the authors for the efforts in preparing their papers and for sharing their research with us over the next three days. We would also like to extend our deep appreciation to the members from the International Scientific Committee, paper reviewers and judges for the Young Researcher Award for their technical advice and assistance.
On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we warmly welcome you to Singapore and we hope you would have a fruitful time in the symposium, get re-acquainted with old friends, make new friends, and enjoy the warm hospitality of our garden city.
Xudong Qian and Yoo Sang Choo
Organising Committee Chair(s) - ISTS17